Trials of Eros
by cheshire-writer
Summary: Its been years, and the gang has a new mission. But when things go wrong they fear one of them is dead, if only they knew that he was so much worse.  Warning: Yaoi, violence,dark themes. Various pairings. Main is Kuwa x Hiei ;3
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**** Holy crap has it been a long time since my last fanfic. So instead of another Outsiders fic I decided that yu yu hakusho was the way to go! Its my new obsession and I can't wait for my season dvds to arrive :3 And why do i always go for the rare paring D8 There's never enough of them! **

**Anyways, let me explain the title Trials of Eros.  
Eros is the greek word for a passionate love, passion meaning full of feeling.  
Basically, you can expect a lot of ups and downs so maybe keep the tissues ready.  
[crappy explanations is crappy]**

**WARNING:  This story involves homosexuality,character torture, sexual content, violence, , gore, death, rape, and over all the naughty stuff that only mature readers should be viewing._ If you are not mature please leave now or forever scar your mind._**

**~Chapter.1 start~  
(3391)**

Hiei inhaled deeply and shivered. The scent of his comrades was intoxicating to his sensitive nose. He could identify each of them just by their aroma. Yusuke had a scent like a night time rain. Kurama's scent was a light mix of musk and flower, a complex mix that was strong but subtle. The strongest scent came from Kuwabara, a heavily spiced musk that definitely spoke 'male' to Hiei's nose. It made his mouth water and skin tingle.

"Hiei may I speak to you for a moment?" Hiei sighed, releasing the delightful scents from his nose.

"What is it Kurama?" Hiei answered in annoyance.

Kurama looked forward at Kuwabara and Yusuke, checking that they were out of ear shot before continuing.

"May you withdraw your aura for a moment it is… distracting to say the least."

A small blush painted Hiei's face as he withdrew the aura he had accidentally released. He had been so caught up in the scents that his aura had slipped from his focus. It could have revealed their position to the enemy. Especially when his aura held the resonance that he was in heat. The resonance acted like an attraction spell meant to lure in any potential mates.

"Hiei, maybe it would be best if you let us handle this mission alone… it would give you enough time to find a ma-"

"I have no intention or interest in leaving to find a mate; do not bring it up again." He snapped feeling his temper easily rising and mentally scolded himself for being angered so easily.

"I'm merely suggesting it for-"

"My own good, you've repeated this same conversation each time I've been in heat and my answer remains the same."

Kurama rolled his eyes in frustration.

"You do realize that with each heat that you refuse to mate the weaker your state will be in the next heat?"

Hiei stopped in his tracks and turned to Kurama while gripping the handle of his Katana, a deep growl sounding from his throat.

"Do not even _suggest_ that my being in heat makes me incapable of completing this mission but if you find it so _distracting_ maybe _you_ should leave this mission to find your own toy to fool around with."

"How _dare_ you Hiei! I'm trying to prevent you from gaining any injuries. Your heat will distract you during battle and that can have dire consequences!"

"Listen fox, I have had enough of this debate now leave it be!" Hiei spat before leaping up into the trees, choosing to leap from tree branch to tree branch to travel and effectively cut off anymore conversation with Kurama.

Kurama growled and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt his aura flare with his frustration. He knew that heat was a touchy subject with Hiei but he knew he had to try. Demons often died during their heat. Both from fighting and the strain it put on their bodies when they did not find a mate. It was a kind of starvation, the longer a demon ignored their heat, the more it would drain them. Kurama faintly wondered why Hiei had risked not mating for so long. He knew it was something to do with Hiei's past; prying the information from Hiei would cross his own boundaries and he already had a basic idea of what had happened though he wished with all his heart that he was wrong.

"Hey," Kurama almost jumped at the sound of Yusuke's voice "What the hell was that all about?" He said while staring up at the branch the Hiei had escaped to.

"It was just an argument." Kurama's voice was monotone as he looked at his two team mates in front of him.

"Ya sure? 'Cause he looked ready to take your head off, literally."

Kurama waited until he felt Hiei's aura travel to a distance where he was out of hearing range. He was startled when he felt a calloused finger wipe a tear from his cheek; he hadn't realized that he had become so upset. He thanked Kuwabara before wiping the rest on his sleeve. He looked up at his two friends; both of them looked extremely concerned.

"Let me explain the situation." Kurama said, knowing that this might be his last chance.

The sun had long since set before the gang arrived at the demon village. Few light were visible and even fewer villagers were awake. The village could barely be considered a village; it was more of a camp ground. Blankets were hung over cave and hut entrances as make shift doors and lanterns were hung in front of each occupied domain. A few flames still burned but many had been snuffed out.

A cold shiver ran down Hiei's spine. The place brought back old memories of his childhood spent in the Bandit camp. None of the memories were good.

"We are to meet her in there." Kurama said while pointing to the only blue lantern in the village that hung above one of the smaller cave entrances.

The gang hurried inside to shelter themselves from the cold night air. Yusuke and Kuwabara grinned at each other as they felt their body heat returning. Kurama still shivered but he, like Hiei, was more focused on the cloaked figure sitting at the back of the cave. A short table sat in front of them with cushions all around it and a roaring fire place at the side. The other two soon noticed their team mates silence and took on the same hardened expressions when they looked at the cloaked figure.

"Come sit down, there is plenty of room." The figures voice chimed through the cave. Her voice was familiar and soft. The boys took her offer and sat around the table where the figure served them all tea from a pot that had been hanging over the fire.

"I can assume that you are the Miss you sent for our help?" Kurama asked.

"Yes, I am her." She answered while letting the hood of her cloak fall to her shoulders. A look of shock crossed the gang's faces as they recognized an apologetic Yukina. "I'm sorry for asking all of you to come out here but I didn't know who else to ask." She blushed in embarrassment.

"It's alright Yukina; we'd do anything for you! Right guys" Kuwabara yelled while jumping up and pumping his fist in the air.

"Kuwabara…please sit down, I have something to tell you all." Yukina whispered her voice sad and distant. Kuwabara sat down looking both concerned and confused. "I can't stay in the human world any longer; my time has run out."

Kuwabara and Yusuke were shocked; neither of them could speak but their eyes told all. Hiei simply sighed, he had known that her time had been coming and when he glanced at Kurama he was sure the fox had known as well. Ice apparitions were only given a limited amount of time outside their village. If they didn't obey the time limit, they would start to evaporate into thin air. Like fog that fades in the morning sunlight.

"How much time do we have to get you back to the village?" Kurama asked while keeping his eyes trained on Kuwabara who seemed to become more withdrawn with each second that passed.

"The ice island will meet at Mount Yenen in ten days. They will stay docked to a cliff there in order to trade supplies with the other villages on the mountain. I'm to return during that time."

"Yenen Mountain…" Kurama said thoughtfully. "It will take us ten days to travel there from here. Assuming we don't run into anything hostile along the way, though knowing the forest we have to cross through, the chances of meeting something hostile is extremely likely. Slavers have been known to harvest there. I give us at least eleven days to arrive at the ice village and that includes climbing the mountain." He sighed at the difficult journey ahead of them.

"I don't get why you want to go back to those frozen old hags anyways, it's not like you have to!" Yusuke spat enraged that his friend Kuwabara was being abandoned.

"But Yusuke I don't have a choice! I want to stay! I'd give anything to stay but they're making me go! You see when I left they took some of my blood to tie me to the village when I left, that way when they wanted me to go back I had to or they would use my blood to kill me. It's their way of making sure their population doesn't all disappear off the island." Yukina answered while tears began to pool in her eyes.

"Ouch… tough break, but there's got to be something we can do?"

"That's not likely Yusuke, at least for now." Kurama replied. "Do you have any thoughts on this Hiei?"

"Hn, let's just finish this mission and move on." He said with relative indifference. In truth he hated that his sister was being forced to return to the ice village. A frozen wasteland that drifted aimlessly; no wonder they had to take such precautions to keep the island from going disserted. Hiei was almost thankful that he had been tossed off the islands side but he couldn't say he liked what happened afterwards.

"So you have to leave, just like that?" Kuwabara asked quietly, more to himself than anyone else. The group was surprised to hear his voice. They had never heard him speak so sombrely.

"Kuwabara I meant to tell you sooner, if I could stay you know I wou-"

"I know Yukina I just wi-"Kuwabara cut himself off, afraid he might say something he would regret. "I'm just going to get some fresh air." Then he stiffly walked out the door. The others watched him go, knowing he needed his space. A few inari stones fell from Yukina's eyes and more soon followed. Kurama tried to comfort her thought he felt awkward in doing so.

"I just wanted to find my brother," Yukina whispered as more stones fell. "I didn't want to hurt anyone."

Hiei stood and turned to leave. The scents in the cave were startle to stifle his Heat affected nose. At least that's what he told himself.

"Hiei, what are you doing?" Kurama asked.

"The fool should not be wandering around the village; I rather not drag his carcass around on this mission." He then turned to the cave entrance and left.

The night air was refreshing for Hiei; he never liked to be in an in closed space for too long; especially while he was in heat. He wandered into the forest, he hadn't eaten for awhile, they had started the mission three days ago and he hadn't eaten awhile before that, he was going to take his time alone to hunt. It wasn't long before Hiei had found what he wanted, a plump rabbit that he killed easily. A small smile of satisfaction crossed his lips and his stomach growled in appreciation. That's when he smelt Kuwabara's scent lingering in the air. He faintly wondered how he hadn't noticed it before. Without realizing it, Hiei's feet began to carry him forward towards Kuwabara scent. He stopped abruptly as another scent struck his nose. That of another male demon in heat, and as Hiei judged from the wind direction, it was heading straight for Kuwabara. He was running before the thought crossed his mind.

Hiei paused before entering the small clearing he found Kuwabara in, choosing to observe him instead. The boy sat against a mossy rock outside another small cave. The forest was silent except for the rustle of quiet sniffling from the boy. Hiei wasn't prepared for that. He almost felt foolish for not thinking that Kuwabara would be upset over the previous events of the day. It seemed obvious to him now. Kuwabara had always put Yukina's needs over his own. In fact, at the age of twenty three Kuwabara held a stable job at an animal shelter as a veterinarian.

It struck Hiei that he still referred to Kuwabara as a boy when he should refer to him as a man. As Hiei looked on at Kuwabara he realized (with mild horror) that the human had grown slightly taller. His face had also filled out more so that his cheek bones were less prominent. The human's stomach growled and a small smile crossed Hiei's lips as he saw Kuwa squirm. He had forgotten that in the past three days of the mission that Kuwabara had not eaten either.

The snap of twig broke Hiei's train of thought. He sniffed the air and growled; the other demon was still pursuing his human. Hiei dropped his rabbit and walked slowly into the clearing, making sure each of his foot steps made an audible tap on the ground. In one swift movement he had Kuwabara on his back, sharp teeth bared against the human's neck, and a clawed hand slapped over his mouth. Another growl escaped Hiei's lip, a warning for the human to stay quiet. He still felt the demon's aura and knew it was watching him. Hiei let his own aura slip out. That's when he noticed Kuwabara's scent, and the intoxicating effect it had on him earlier that day returned. He lapped at the soft skin in front of him, a light groan escaping his lips. It really had been a long time since he had mated with anyone, years in fact. He hated to admit it, but he did miss the touch of another. His hands glided under the thin fabric of Kuwa's undershirt and caressed the soft skin he found there. Hiei faintly heard the other demon leave but was to busy nuzzling into Kuwabara's neck to notice.

"Are you done yet?" Kuwabara's voice broke into his daze.

Hiei jumped back onto his feet, a bright blush glowed off his cheeks, he couldn't believe he had lost himself so easily. He was shocked when Kuwabara started laughing.

"Quit it Fool! Do you have any idea what type of danger you were in?"

"From what, the other demon? Or your kinky cuddling?" Hiei growled and clenched his fists.

"That demon was also in heat and you were to be his whore if I didn't intervene!" Hiei yelled but calm slightly when he saw that Kuwabara's facial expression had ,finally, turned serious.

"Listen midget, I wasn't totally zoned out, I sensed the demon and yeah his aura seemed to be doing odd things but I was waiting for the demon to step into the clearing so I could see what the hell I was going to fight! At least I don't creep around and tackle people to get some action!"

"Are you really that dense? I only did that so it would look like we were mates so the other demon would leave!"

"What you too chicken shit to pick a fight now?" Another escaped Hiei and he lifted Kuwabara up by his shirt collar so that he could glare right into the human's eyes.

"Let me explain something to you human, I haven't mated in years, each heat I have drains me more and more, neither of us has eaten and thus we are both in weakened states. You should be more concerned about conserving energy than fighting any challenger you come across."

Kuwabara looked down in shame and Hiei let go of his collar before he began walking back to the forest.

"Hey don't go, I'm sorry I bugged you Hiei!" Kuwa called after him. Hiei looked back in surprise.

"Would you honestly want me to stay?" There was a long pause before Kuwabara replied with a small 'yes.' " Fine, now gather some fire wood, I wish to cook my rabbit."

"You killed a bunny!" Hiei face palmed.

"Just get the damn wood Kazuma."

Kuwabara paused for a moment at Hiei using his first name before doing as he was told. There was plenty of dry wood on the forest floor and it only took him a few minutes to grab an arm full of wood. When we walked back to the clearing he didn't see Hiei anywhere and he sighed. He dropped the wood at the front of the cave before crawling inside. The cave was too small for him to stand in and even while he was crawling his head sometimes bumped into the ceiling while his wide set shoulders scraped against the walls. The one benefit of the small cave was the thick soft moss the coated the floor. Kuwa lied on the cave floor for awhile before he felt someone shake him. He lazy looked up at an annoyed Hiei.

"I thought a human would be hungry after three days without food."

"I-I thought you left." Hiei almost looked hurt by his answer.

"Hn. I was busy cleaning the rabbit in the stream behind this cave. Besides… you've had enough abandonment for one day." Hiei sighed before turning and crawling back out of the cave with Kuwa following him out.

Kuwabara was confused, Hiei wasn't acting himself. He remembered that Hiei had admitted to being in heat and he wondered if that was the reason for it. He was surprised to see a small fire burning with the rabbit roasting over it and even a few small fish were cooking on sticks.

"You were able to do all this when I just lied done?"

"You've been sleeping for an hour."

"Oh."

Hiei handed a leg of rabbit to Kuwa before taking a leg for himself. They ate in silence, both of them were busy filling their starving stomachs. The flavours were incredible, Hiei had taken some lessons from Kurama on edible plant life and he had used the lessons well to flavour the food with different herbs and spices. Soon only one fish was left but both of them were too full to finish it.

"You're a good cook."

"Hn."

"I mean it! You got to teach me sometime."

"Just go to bed Kuwa." Hiei said before lying back down on the ground.

Kuwabara sighed before crawling back into the cave. He was just about to fall back asleep when he heard the rain begin to fall. After waiting awhile Kuwa peeked his head outside to check on Hiei. The fire had been put out by the heavy rain and Hiei had tucked his head under his clothes in an effort to keep dry. Kuwabara shook his head in disbelief and amusement before going over and picking Hiei up. The small demon growled in response.

"Put me down human, I'm trying to sleep."

"You can't sleep much in the rain." Kuwabara said before carrying Hiei inside the cave.

"You expect us to both sleep in here comfortably?" Hiei griped while pulling off his soaked cloak and wringing it out at the entrance before laying it out on a nearby rock.

"Well you seemed more than comfortable with me when that other demon was near." Hiei met Kuwabara's comment with a glare. "Okay that was a cheap shot, but it is cold in here and you're always warm." He finished before wrapping his arms around Hiei's torso in a tight embrace.

"I could care less about your body temperature now unhand me!" The small demon yelled.

"Aw come on Hiei its only for one night."

"Kuwabara…. You know that I'm in heat, I may do something you'll regret." Hiei said quietly while admitting to himself that he honestly didn't want to hurt the human.

"Hiei it's okay, I trust you." Kuwabara spoke without a doubt on his mind.

Hiei froze at the honesty in Kuwabara's voice. He didn't understand how he could trust him so easily. He had never shown the human an extreme kindness and he saw no reason for him to trust him.

"Why?"

"Because I'm col-

"No you imbecile, why do you trust me?"

"I don't know, I just do." Hiei sighed in defeat before crawling deeper inside the cave and lying down.

"Does that mean we are sleeping together?" Kuwabara said while laying down next to Hiei and embracing the demon a second time.

"Don't word it that way and don't expect this favour to happen again." Was all he said before falling asleep.

**~Chapter.1 End~**

**A/N: ****Thoughts? Feelings? Let me know in the reviews please! Sorry that this chapter seems so lame the real story starts later on and this is here for explanation and what not. Basically, it gets better because this chapter was storyline that got bloated with explanations and info. Also sorry for Hiei being out of character but its supposed to show how being in heat has affected his mind and other reasons that will be explained later so please stay tuned because I plan for this story to be epic!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you everyone for your reveiws and for simply reading this fic. Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I do :)**

Hiei was surrounded by warmth when he woke up. The light was still dim enough that it didn't't bother his closed eyes. He sighed in contentment before nuzzling into his warm 'pillow', ready to fall back asleep. A hand began to rub circles on his back, effectively massaging the soreness from his tense back muscles. A deep purr rumbled from Hiei's throat while he was still under his sleepy morning haze. He tightened his embrace, content on nuzzling the pillow a second time before inhaling deeply. Hiei tensed as soon as Kuwabara's scent hit his nose and a deep growl left his throat when he heard the human laugh.

"Aw take it easy Hiei; it's not my fault you purr like a kitten!" Kuwabara choked out before bursting into another fit of laughter.

Hiei growled again, bit Kuwabara's arm to stop the human from rubbing his back, and sat against the cave wall a good meter towards the entrance. Even though the demon had slept in a deep slumber he felt as if he had not slept at all. He rubbed his eyes and yawned before lying down and going back to sleep.

Kuwabara frowned as he watched Hiei slump side ways and fall asleep. The small demon looked sickly and it worried him. He waited until he heard Hiei's breathing even out before he picked the small demon up and carried him out of the cave. Hiei barely stirred and Kuwa wondered if he was caught in a dream, especially when he started murmuring. He remembered Hiei admitting that his heat drained his energy but he never imagined it would be that bad. After picking up Hiei's cloak Kuwabara carried him back to the village know that Kurama would be able to help him. He found their group waiting on a hill outside the demon village.

"About damn time you got here you lazy sack o- wait, what's wrong with him?" Yusuke blurted while Kurama had already begun to exam Hiei's sleeping form.

"This is much worse than I imagined." Kurama stated while pulling a vial out of his pocket.

"Wha-what do you mean it's much worse?" Kuwabara stuttered.

"Well his condition seems to be deteriorating quiet rapidly, I will give him some medicine to dull the effects of his heat on his body but that's all I can do for him until he finds a mate."

"And if he doesn't't?"

"He will die."

The finality of the statement struck the group hard. Kuwabara gazed down at Hiei in bewilderment. He couldn't't understand why the demon would risk himself. There didn't't seem to be any reason for it. Hiei stirred gently when Kuwabara brushed his finger through his hair and the boy blushed lightly.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else you can do Kurama?" He asked.

"I-I have an idea." Yukina said; Kuwabara and Kurama looked at her hopefully. "There's a village not to far from here, it has a nice hotel and a… matchmaking service of sorts."

"You mean a whore house?" Yusuke received very disproving looks from the other two boys.

"O-oh heavens no Yusuke I'm just not sure how to explain it."

"Then let me," Kurama interjected. "It's much like a speed dating service you find in the human world, though to be completely honest I don't know how they run things there. Such services in demon world are highly unusual and were only introduced after the barrier between the human and demon worlds was brought down. I'm not sure how Hiei would take to such a service but it is the best chance for him."

"Well it sounds like a great deal and all but how are we going to get him there?"

"I'll take him." Kuwabara answered. "I'm already carrying him anyways."

"Make sure he doesn't take off your head when he wakes up then." Yusuke said as he slapped Kuwabara on the back.

"Yes that would be most unfortunate." Kurama chuckled. "Now I really must administer the medicine before you leave Kuwabara, if you could just open Hiei's mouth."

Kuwabara did as he was told and began to gently open Hiei's with his fingers. A quiet murmur left Hiei's lips before they wrapped around Kuwabara's fingers and suckled them. Kuwabara's face was coated in a deep red blush that only grew when he heard Kurama laughing.

"Shut up fox boy!" Kuwabara sputtered as he finally pried Hiei's mouth open and let Kurama pour the vials contents down the small demons throat.

"Are you sure that's going to be enough?"

"Anymore Kuwabara and we risk some unfortunate side effects. I'll give you another vile for tomorrow as well as some others filled with a wake up solution." Kurama handed Kuwabara a small black pouch filled with the medicine and 'wake up' solution.

"You should also take these." Said Yukina while holding up another small pouch made of a silver fabric and tied with a royal blue ribbon.

Kuwabara adjusted Hiei so that he had the small demon balanced on his shoulder before taking the pouch from Yukina and pouring some of the contents out onto his hand. He was shocked to see the small tear gems roll onto his palm.

"Yukina I can't take your Hiroseki stones from you!" Kuwa said while trying to hand the gems back.

Yukina only smiled at him before closing his hand over her solidified tears.

"You don't have any demon currency Kazuma-san and one of the stones will be more than enough to pay for the hotel room. Consider these a payback for not telling you earlier about my leaving."

Kuwabara looked down at the small ice maiden in wonder before nodding with a small smile. She embraced him shortly, whispering "I'm glad we're still friends." Before letting him go.

"Now Kuwabara, the hotel is named 'Aromai', it's a day's walk from here going northeast. The journey should be fairly uneventful as that part of the forest is uninhabited by demons. We will meet up with you tomorrow evening at some hot springs that are northwest of Aromai."

Kuwabara nodded and said thanks to everyone before taking a small map from Kurama and began to walk towards Aromai. Hiei stirred in his sleep occasionally but never woke up; Kuwabara would try and walk a little faster each time. It was dusk when he walked through the Aromai hotel doors. He wiped the sweat from his brow and caught his breath before walking to the receptionist's desk. A plump woman with purple skin, large circular glasses, and long black hair tied back in a bun sat behind the desk, her lime green eyes focused on the boisterous crowd in the restaurant area.

"Um excuse me, could I book a room?" He almost flinched when the demons bright eyes snapped their focus onto him.

"Did you book a room in advanced?"

"Err no but-"

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you." She snapped letting her eyes drift back towards the restaurant. "I swear ever since they started playing clips from the dark tournament we've always been busy."

"Maybe this will change your mind." Kuwabara held up one of the Hiroseki stones and grinned when he saw the demon woman eyes grow wide.

"I-I'll see what I can do for you." She stood and left through a wooden door, Kuwabara waited a full five minutes before the woman came back.

"We've been able to clear one room for you, is there anything else you would like?"

"Well I heard you guys have that matchmaking thing."

"Yes I assume you would like to sign up for it?"

"No, no, no! It's for my friend here!" Kuwabara yelled before showing the receptionist the sleeping Hiei in his arms.

"Oh… he's a real cutie too." She said with a blush. "Uh um well we have a two for one special so I'll just sign you both up. Now I'll need both your names on these papers here and any other information needed for your stay."

Kuwabara sighed in defeat and filled out the papers the receptionist handed him. When he was finally finished she looked the pages over and smiled.

"Everything looks to be in order. Now here's how the matchmaking works, we post your picture up on the wall over there. Under your picture is a mail slot. If someone is interested in matching with you they'll drop their biography card into your mail box. Biography cards are just pictures with your information printed on the back. Room service will deliver your cards to you when order your food if you're able to wait the twenty minutes for them to be ready. Now here's your key, your room is on the top floor, take the elevator and head down the fourth hallway towards your left."

Kuwabara said a small "Thanks," to the woman before taking the key and going to the elevator. He looked down at the key tag, reading '1314' when the elevator stopped on his floor. Room 1314 was at the end of the hall and Kuwabara was happy to find that their rooms was located on a top corner of the building, the room beside them was labeled as the janitor closet while the one across from them was labeled for storage meaning they had no immediate neighbors. Kuwabara hastily unlocked the door and nearly dropped Hiei when it swung open.

Behind the solid oak door a black plush carpet coated the floor, only breaking for the peach marble tiles in front of the extremely large fire place. The walls had been painted a dark crimson while the crown molding was lustrous black, perfectly framing the amber tinted mirrors that circled around Sitting a meter and a half in front of the fireplace was a large leather armchair with a glass side table. A matching glass table sat in front of a wall that held long rectangular mirrors framing a dark mahogany bathroom door. To the far side of the room was a larger than king sized canopy bed. Its curtains were a shimmering copper while the golden frame had been molded to look like it was made of the leaves and branches of a Maple tree. Kuwabara laid Hiei down on the bed, taking care to tuck the demon under the scarlet blankets and set his head on one of the cream colored silk pillows.

Kuwabara ran his fingers through Hiei's hair, making the small demon relax under his gentle touch. He had been tense while Kuwabara was carrying making the human worry. A small smile graced Kuwabara's lips when he heard the quiet sound of Hiei's purring.

Once Kuwabara was sure that Hiei's sleep was peaceful he lit the fire place, letting its warm light bathe the room and heat the chilled air. He then grabbed the small pamphlet off of the large glass table and flipped through its contents before dropping it back down and leaving through the bathroom door. He was awestruck a second time by the grandness of the room. The floor was covered in peach marble tiles, smaller versions of them climbed half way up the wall before small lines of them climbed to the roof. The un-tiled portions of the wall were painted an iridescent white, mimicking a pearls shine with the different colors it shone as the lighting hit it. The roof was painted the same color but had been indented with ripples focused around a gold chandelier. A glass incased shower sat at the far end of the room, while the large square bath sat opposite of the toilet and sink. All the visible metal had been furnished to look like gold.

Kuwabara stripped himself of his clothing and entered the shower. The long day of walking while carrying Hiei had left him both grubby and tired and he hoped that a good hot shower would rid him of both. After twisting and turning the taps a sigh escaped Kuwabara lips as the perfectly tempered water cascaded onto his sore muscles. He found a large variety of soaps, shampoos, and conditioners inside a wire basket hanging under a shower head; each set had a different scent to them. He simply grabbed the nearest set and began scrubbing, not really caring about the scent of it. He finished his shower quickly and dried himself with one of the many red towels before dressing in one of the white robes hanging from the door hooks. The plush softness of the robe surprised Kuwabara, who had never felt such a fabric.

After leaving the bathroom Kuwabara left his pouches medicine vials and tear gems on the table along before dropping his filthy clothes in a laundry bag he found under the bed. He checked the clock hanging above the main door and decided that it was time to wake Hiei. He grabbed one of the vials off the table and uncorked it. The flowery smell of the fluorescent orange liquid made Kuwabara wrinkle his nose before walking over to the bed. He gently opened Hiei's mouth for the second time that day, blushing brightly as the demon nursed his fingers, and poured two drops of the vials contents into Hiei's mouth. He watched as Hiei swallowed and frowned at the taste before his eyelids fluttered open. Hiei yawned and looked up at Kuwabara with a blank stare.

"Your robe is open."

Kuwabara yelped, frantically retying the robe closed while he tripped over himself and fell back on to the floor. Hiei flinched at the noise and covered his ears before he curled into a ball and groaned. Kuwabara quit fidgeting and frowned at Hiei's actions. He knelt beside the bed and rubbed gentle circles on Hiei's back until the demon stopped covering his ears.

"Hey, are you okay there buddy?" Kuwa asked softly.

"Aside from being in pain?" Hiei snapped, cringing when he sat up and was struck by an extremely painful headache.

"I thought Kurama's medicine would fix that." Hiei watched Kuwabara as he held up the medicine. "He called it a wake up solution so it'll probably help your headache. If that doesn't work you can take a shower. I'll order some food while you're in there."

"Fine, now where have you brought me human?" Kuwabara rolled his eyes as Hiei snatched the vial from him.

The demon glanced at the vials the vials contents before pouring it down his throat.

"We're in a hotel called Aromai; I don't think you should drink that stuff so fast." Hiei glared at him. "You've been out for the entire day; I don't want that wake up stuff shocking your system."

Hiei returned the comment with a 'Hn' before curling back up into a ball. Kuwabara sighed and ran his hand through Hiei's hair soothingly. The small demon couldn't help but lean into the comforting touch that his body craved. It slightly worried him that he couldn't help himself but he didn't dwell on the thought, preferring to focus on the wonderful feeling of the human petting his head.

"Are you ready for your shower now?" When Kuwa didn't receive an answer he stopped petting Hiei hair and lifted the demon chin so that he could look into his eyes. "Are you feeling alright?"

Hiei snorted "Of course I'm alright." He said while smacking Kuwabara's hand away and leaving for the bathroom.

He felt nauseous; his head was pounding from keeping his aura contained for so long. Hiei stripped off his clothing, taking special care to wrap his two Hiroseki stones in his scarf. He sighed and stepped into the shower, eager to rid himself of any grime. Hiei turned the taps so that the water was just below burning before inspecting the array of soaps and seeing that Kuwabara had opened the set of peach. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought of the smell of peaches mingling with the cinnamon aroma of Kuwabara's musk. Hiei licked his lips when the thought of tasting the scent crossed his mind but those thoughts quickly transformed into tasting the humans flesh, marking it with his teeth. He shook his head vigorously in an attempt to rid his mind of such thoughts. It was bad enough that he had grown hard when Kuwabara had pet his hair, it was worse that his heat now clouded his thoughts with pornography. He growled before scrubbing his skin roughly, using the pain from his raw skin to distract him from his mind. Unfortunately it didn't seem to work well and Hiei began to suspect his Jagan eye had something to do with it. His frustration only grew when he finished his shower.

"Where the hell did you put my clothes human!" Hiei yelled while stomping out of the bathroom, a towel firmly tied around his waist.

Kuwabara blinked up at Hiei from where he sat at the table.

"I gave 'em to the cleaning lady so they could get washed." Hiei's eyes widened in panic.

"Where is my scarf?"

"Oh the material felt silky and I didn't want them to wreck it so I put it on the bed."

Hiei was quick to grab his scarf and visibly relaxed when he felt it in his grasp. His relaxation didn't last long as he didn't feel his two Hiroseki stones in the fabric.

"Are these what you're looking for?" Hiei froze at Kuwabara's voice and slowly turned his head to see that the two Hiroseki stones hung from Kuwabara's fingers. "Yukina showed me her mothers Hiroseki stone a few months after we rescued her, at first I just thought it was odd that she would lend it to you, but then I found another Hiroseki with the same energy signature as Yukina's and after thinking about it, everything just made sense." Hiei growled with fury.

"If you tell her I swear I'll-"

"Kill me in the most painful way possible by blah blah blah, ooh I'm so scared. Listen tiny I ain't telling her nothing 'cause that's your job!"

"No one will be telling her anything, especially not me."

"Well then I guess I have to!"

"Like hell you will!" Hiei yelled before tackling Kuwabara.

The chair clattered into the wall while Hiei pinned Kuwabara to the floor. He pulled his fist back ready to strike the human, until he looked into his eyes. Hurt, helplessness, betrayal, anger, he knew those emotions well and he hated to see them reflecting through Kuwabara's eyes. Memories, things he had worked hard to suppress, were flooding his mind. The smell of a frosty swamp, his own blood spilt on the muddy ground, the stink of sweat from demon bandits.

Kuwabara knew something was wrong from the moment that Hiei had frozen mid punch. The demon eyes were unfocused, like they were seeing something that he could not. A small whimper escaped Hiei's lips before he doubled over with his hands covering his ears. His body began to shake and Kuwabara was quick to catch the demon before he hit the ground.

"Hiei? Hiei! Aw come on man snap at of it, you're really freaking me out." Kuwabara pleaded with no use. Hiei's eyes had glazed over to a milky white and he had begun muttering nonsense.

Kuwabara swore and held Hiei with one arm while he grabbed his medicine bag off the table. In it he found exactly what he was looking for. A communicator, similar to Yusuke's; Botan had given each of the boys one at their last reunion. He pressed the red button on the keypad and Kurama soon appeared on the screen.

"Ah, Kuwabara, have you called to say that you made it to Aromai?"

"No, something's really wrong with Hiei." Kuwabara replied before tilting the view screen down at Hiei. He could see Kurama flinch at the site of their friend.

"Kuwabara, answer me honestly, how much of the medicine has Hiei had?"

"A full vial of it." He pale when he heard Kurama curse.

"Listen to me closely Kuwabara. That medicine I gave you is designed to stimulate the mind and body. He was only supposed to take one drop of it. Now his mind is over charged and he can't control his own thoughts, I'm afraid that his actions will also become affected. Please be careful, Hiei could become dangerous. I'm on my way; Yusuke will be able to take care of bringing Yukina to the hot springs. I will be there before morning, see you then." The screen went blank and Kuwabara closed the communicator.

A small whimper brought his attention back to the small demon he held. Hiei was now squirming and Kuwabara used his free hand to rub circles on his back. He walked over to the bed and took one of the blankets over to the arm chair where he wrapped Hiei up so that he couldn't flail his limbs and injure himself. Kuwabara then held him close and rubbed circles on his back while whispering comforting words in his ear. Hiei seemed to calm slightly but he still made quiet murmurs. A shiver ran down Kuwabara's spine as he finally understood the words the small demon spoke.

"N-no…stop, please….stop."

**A/N: And now I get to leave you with the suspense of wondering what the hell is happening to Hiei and what the hell was he muttering about ;p**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I found writing this chapter extremely frustrating because it's important to the overall story and I wanted to get everything right for it. So, sorry that this chapter took me over two months to get it right. Anyways I hope you enjoy!**

**...**

Kuwabara sat there for a long time holding the small tormented demon in his arms. Hiei continued to have episodes that ranged from quiet whimpering to violent thrashing. Kuwabara had wrapped a blanket around the demon but Hiei's claws had easily shredded the thick fabric and had embedded themselves in the human's pale skin. Kuwabara did nothing to stop him, he only grit his teeth as the nails dug deeper. The last time he had tried to restrain Hiei's hands the demon had only become more distressed and panicked. Soon blood was soaking the front of Kuwabara's robe and he had to do his best to ignore it. Instead he focused on Hiei by rubbing the trembling demon's back and combing his fingers through the demon soft black hair. A small whimper escaped Hiei's lips and Kuwabara frowned. It scared him to see the demon in such a weakened state, especially when the demon was usually so powerful.

"Shh it's going to be alright Hiei." Kuwabara whispered; he didn't know how many times he had repeated that sentence.

He looked up at the clock. Hours had passed with no signs of improvement. The only time Kuwabara had moved was to phone room service and cancel their food order. They had still brought back the clean clothing and an envelope stuffed full of pictures from the matchmaking program. He found it funny that Hiei had already attracted plenty of attention while staying in the hotel room all night.

Kuwabara sighed in relief as Hiei finally removed the razor sharp claws from his flesh. The demon then relaxed before curling into Kuwabara's chest and inhaling deeply. Kuwabara chuckled lightly as he was reminded of waking up with the small demon lying on top of him with his nose buried in his shirt. He brushed some of the bangs away from Hiei's face before yawning and checking the clock again.

"Kurama should be here soon." Kuwabara muttered before yet another yawn overtook him.

He knew he had to stay awake but he could feel his energy slowly slipping away. It wasn't the same tiredness that Kuwabara was used to, and his psychic awareness told him that it was best to lie down. He sighed in annoyance before bringing Hiei over to the bed and tucking the demon in firmly with the many layers of blankets. He knew it would do little help of keeping the demon from thrashing since Hiei had easily shredded the other blanket but he still hoped that it would at least keep the demon from rolling onto the floor. Kuwabara lied down on his side of the bed before he felt a very sudden drain on his energy that caused him to black out.

The first thing Kuwabara noticed when he woke up was the feeling of dread that had settled in his stomach. The second thing he noticed was the cold damp air that clung to his skin. Kuwabara sat up slowly and shook his head before opening his eyes. What he saw shocked him.

A vast swamp surrounded by a densely packed forest stretched out before him. Most of it was either covered in moss or a fog that drifted slowly in the cold breeze that made Kuwabara pull his jacket closer. It struck him that he didn't remember putting it on and when he looked down he was wearing the same dark blue jacket, white t-shirt, and light blue jeans that he had been wearing at the beginning of the mission. He wondered when he had changed and realized that the last thing he remembered before waking up was when he blacked out at the hotel room. A dull pounding had started in his left temple and Kuwabara groaned as he tried to remember anything before he had woke up. He remembered taking Hiei to Aromai, the receptionist had been grouchy for some reason, he had carried Hiei to room 1314, they had fought and Hiei had collapsed. Kuwabara's eyes widened in panic.

"Hiei!"

"What in the hell are _you_ doing here?" Kuwabara spun around to look at the small demon.

"What do ya mean 'what the hell are you doing here' I just woke up here!" He shouted, instantly irritated at Hiei's accusing tone.

"Hn, that's highly unlikely." The demon replied with an eye roll before turning and walking away.

"Hey wait a second I don't even know where 'here' is!"

Kuwabara ran after Hiei, who had stopped paying any attention to the human. Just as Kuwabara reached out to grab the demons cloak, he tripped over a moss covered log and was sent sprawling across the muddy ground. Hiei looked down at the human in complete bewilderment.

"You lack of grace is alarming." Was his only remark before he kept walking.

Kuwabara grumbled back something unintelligible before getting up and brushing himself off.

They continued walking before resting at the bottom of a steep hill where a river ran through. Kuwabara sighed before lying down on a patch of dry earth. The atmosphere of the swamp was dark and gloomy; he could feel that something horrible had happened there. Briefly Kuwabara wondered what that something was before he realized that he really didn't want to know. He looked over at Hiei who was glancing around the area nervously before glancing at him and quickly looking away. Kuwabara frowned; if he didn't know better he'd say that him being there was making Hiei nervous. A sudden scream made both boys jump to their feet.

A pack of five demons burst through the trees, following their small prey. Even though it was running fast enough to be a blur Kuwabara could tell it was limping and low on energy. The small creature tripped over a tree root and screamed as it toppled over into the forest rough under brush. Instantly Kuwabara was running at the demons at top speed. He knew, just from the scream, that the creature was a child.

"Hang on kid, we're coming!" He yelled before a barrier suddenly appeared in front of him, crackling with energy.

The air was knocked of his lungs as Kuwabara was sent flying backwards, skipping and sliding over the wet ground. Hiei looked on in pity; he really wished the human wasn't there.

"There's no use human, you can't break that barrier." He spoke gravely.

"Like hell I can't!" Kuwabara yelled before taking his stance. "Spirit Swor- what the?" He looked down at his hands in shock; not a single spark had appeared, yet alone his sword. His shock turned to fear when he found that he felt no spirit energy coursing through his veins.

"Aw man, Hiei there's something with my spirit energy so you got to try and break the barrier."

"I can't." The small demon replied coldly.

"What do you mean you _can't_, there's a kid in there damn it!" Hiei growled in exasperation.

"I meant that I've tried before fool and it never works!" He then reached out for the barrier while keeping his eyes locked with the humans.

Kuwabara watched as Hiei's fingers brushed against the barrier. Almost instantly a shower of sparks blinded the both of them before Hiei collapsed. Before he knew it, Kuwabara was by the demon's side and checking for injuries. Hiei's gaze was unfocused and his body stayed limp in the humans grasp. Kuwabara tried to shake the demon back into focus but no matter what he tried the demon didn't wake.

The child's pain filled screams echoed over the swamp as it was beaten. Kuwabara grit his teeth and stood, fully determined to break the barrier. He called upon his spirit energy and imagined the smooth barrier slicing sword forming in his hands, but nothing happened, he didn't even feel a charge. Kuwabara swore in frustration while pounding his fists against the barrier. He only stopped when the sound of a familiar whimper reached his ears and he looked over. Hiei lay on the ground with his hands pressed firmly over his ears and eyes stretched wide in an unfocused and feral stare.

Kuwabara was quick to place his hands over Hiei's when he remembered how much more sensitive the demons hearing was to his own. The demon didn't struggle as Kazuma pulled him close to muffle any noise from the scene happening behind them. The barrier crackled behind them but Kuwabara knew that without his spirit energy he had no hope of breaking it. All he could was cover Hiei up and hope that it helped the demon.

After a long while the demons left the child alone, wandering off in different directions before disappearing. A short time after Kuwabara heard the crackling of the barrier stop. He blinked in surprise and reached out a hesitant hand. When he didn't feel the barrier he gently lay Hiei (who seemed to have fainted) against a boulder by a small river before getting up to run and check on the kid. A small tug on his pant leg made him stop. He crouched beside Hiei and gave the demon a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"I don't want you going there; you'll be disgusted by what you see." Kazuma took a long look in Hiei's pleading eyes before sighing.

"Hiei… someone has to help that kid, I don't care what I see I just know that they're hurting right now and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just left them there." He stood and took a step back from the small demon. "I promise to be back as quick as I can okay." And with that said he turned and ran to the child in the forest.

The first thing Kuwabara saw was the blood. It lie everywhere, on the grass, on the trees, and in the mud that coated the child's body. Kuwabara gagged at the site but tried to remain calm. He checked the child's vitals and was relieved to find that it was still breathing and still had a pulse. Kurama had showed him how to detect a demons heartbeat after their fight with Sensui; demon heartbeats were much more subtle than humans and harder to find. He also found that the child was male and that his ankle had become tangled in some tree roots, twisting it until Kuwabara was sure it had snapped. He carefully broke the roots free of the ankle when he froze. A fresh wave of nausea hit him as he saw the extent of the child's injuries.

"O- Oh god." Fell from Kuwabara's lips as a shutter shook through his body.

He gently lifted the child and cradled him close as he brought it down to the river. Hiei watched in silence as Kuwabara took a cloth out of his jacket and set to cleaning the child. He started with the child's face noting that one side was bruised and swelling. It took a long time to wash away all the mud and grime. Kuwabara often had to dip the cloth in the river water, sometimes after just one wipe on the child's skin. After he was finished washing, Kazuma took some bandages and a tube of disinfectant from his pockets before he started to clean and bandage the wounds. He worked swiftly and carefully, using the skills he had learned over the years to quickly patch all the boys' wounds. The child had begun to shiver with cold and Kuwabara knew that the red cloak tied around the child's neck would provide very little warmth.

"Hiei come here for a minute!" The demon seemed to be in a daze as he walked over to Kuwabara.

"What do you want human?"

"The kid is freezing could you make a campfire for him?" He then covered the boy with his jacket but the demon didn't move. "Please Hiei… he's lost a lot of blood after… after what they did to him." Kuwabara choked.

"After they raped him."

Kazuma flinched at the demons harsh words. He had known what had happened to the child. How the child was abused. The cruelty that was inflicted on him. But even though he knew, it had sounded so much worse when it was said out loud.

"Y-yeah, I've patched his wounds but he needs to warm up or he might get pneumonia and I don't think he could survive that."

"Hn exactly why do you want to help that wretch?" He said before lighting a stack of logs between them on fire.

"How can you say that Hiei? He's just a baby… I-I couldn't leave him to die." Kuwabara spoke sadly; it had honestly hurt him that Hiei thought so low of the child.

"Then do you plan on adopting him? He would only be a burden for you to take care of."

"Shut up Hiei! I don't care if he'd be difficult to take care of, he's a kid! A kid that's been hurt and I refuse to let him die!"

"Why the hell would you waste your time on something that was too weak to defend himself?"

"God damn it Hiei! Everyone has their moments of weakness and no one is born strong!" Kuwabara slumped and sighed before he let his voice soften. "We all need someone there for us once and awhile… and I don't think it's a burden to be there for someone."

Hiei stayed quiet and sat on the other side of the campfire. To Kuwabara, he seemed to looking for something within the flames, though he couldn't guess what that was. It confused him as much as the swamp did.

"Hiei, where are we?"

"The sinking swamp, a dismal wasteland located beside the forest of fools in demon world."

"Why are we here?"

"That should be obvious human, especially with your psychic abilities. Perhaps you've been neglecting your training over the years?"

Kuwabara grit his teeth in frustration. He had _never_ even _once_ neglected his training. Every day he practiced with his abilities, pushing himself to his limits and asking Genkai for advice when he needed it. His psychic abilities had grown greatly over the past three years; he just hadn't had the chance to show them off yet. Sudden realization dawned on the human just then and he laughed. Hiei stared at him with a questioning annoyance.

"Jeez Hiei, you call me a fool when you're the one making stupid assumptions about how I live. Let me tell you something, I _never_ neglect my training. I'm not that stupid okay, after all the demons we fought I know that plenty of 'em would like to take a chunk out of my hide. And I'll also have you know that I just figured out what this swamp thing is about. Ya see in one of Urameshi's first missions he had to fight this demon called Rando. Things didn't go so well and I couldn't move when he ran into some trouble. I don't know how I did it and I still don't know but I somehow disconnected from my body to contact him. It's like I became a ghost without dying, Kurama called it astral projection. And that's what's happening here, I'm communicating with you like a ghost would, through one of your dreams!"

Hiei snorted dismissively.

"Oh good job human it only took you forever to figure it out." He said with a roll of his eyes.

"Screw you shrimp, at least I don't dream up this creepy crap!"

Hiei growled loudly and jumped to his feet before pointing an accusing finger at Kuwabara.

"You _bastard_! I didn't choose to dream this and I sure as hell didn't wish for_ you_ to see it! If I had my way I would have never seen this swamp after that night!" Then he stopped, his eyes wide, realizing what he had just said.

Kuwabara sat there with his mouth agape. He couldn't believe what he had heard. His eyes traveled down from the demon standing in front of him, to the demon in his arms. The swelling on the child's face had gone down and Kuwabara could finally see it. There, under all the bruises and freshly bleeding cuts, was a very young Hiei.

**...**

**A/N: Sorry if things got a little confusing but let me try to explain.**

**Astral Projection is basically an out of body experience when someone's spirit separates from their body. For those who remember the fight with Rando; Kuwabara separated from his body to contact Yusuke. Basically Kuwabara did the same thing in this chapter except that he wound up in Hiei's dream scape which happened to be replaying one of Hiei's memories as a nightmare.**

**Hope that cleared things up for people and that you enjoyed this chapter!**

**The next one should be posted faster, thank you for all the views, favs, and comments for Trials of Eros. You people certainly inspire me to write!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Er, long time no see? Yes this chapter took me forever to write because I kept re-writing it and it ended up being longer then I thought... oh well, I like it for what it is and I hope you do to :)**

**Thank you to:**

**twistedmind29**

**Wobsie**

**Leida**

**half-a-recess**

**Anime's-mistress**

**KayHiei**

**Time on my hands**

**and kit572**

**for your reviews, you guys really helped keep me writing :D**

**...**

Kuwabara woke with a start and gagged before running to the bathroom. He barely made it to the toilet before he vomited. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the child beaten and covered in blood. His stomach rolled and Kuwabara wretched again. It wasn't long before his stomach was empty and he was struggling to keep a sob from escaping his throat. As soon as he realized that the child had been Hiei he felt his head spinning. To Kuwabara, Hiei had always been like one of the lone hero's in the storybooks he read as a kid. Solitary, powerful, and completely untouchable; he never imagined anything so horrible could happen to the small demon. A hand landed on his shoulder and Kuwabara flinched, knowing exactly who was standing behind him.

"I tried telling you that you would be disgusted."

Kuwabara shook his head in disbelief before turning around and hugging the small demon close to him. Hiei tensed unsure of what to think when the human's arms wrapped around his waist. Especially when the human rested his head on his shoulder and he felt a tear drop on his skin.

"I-I know… I am disgusted by it."

"Then why do you embrace something that disgusts you?" Kuwabara pulled away just enough so that he could look Hiei in the eyes.

"No Hiei, you don't disgust me. Those bastards in the swamp… they disgust me."

"Hn."

"I'm serious Hiei!" Kuwabara hugged the demon closer while replacing his head on his shoulder. "After what they did to you, they have to pay for it. I don't care what it takes I'll get 'em."

I a grim smile graced Hiei's lips before he whispered in Kuwabara's ear.

"Now there is no need for worrying human. You see once I recovered I tracked every last one of those miserable beasts down and slaughtered them." His voice was cold and vicious, waiting for the moment when the human would pull away from him.

But that moment never came. Instead Kuwabara tightened his embrace, trying to provide at least a bit of comfort for the small demon. Hiei sighed he at least expected the human to flinch at his words. All he could really do was stand there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Then a particular scent caught his nose and Hiei took a step back.

"You're bleeding?" He asked confused as to why there was blood staining the front of Kuwabara's previously white robe.

"Err, yeah well, um when you blacked out you started thrashing around so I had to hang to you before you got hurt."

"Yet you found it perfectly acceptable to get yourself injured instead." Hiei said with exasperation and a roll of his eyes.

"Well it's not like I was going to let you break your arm or something…" Kuwabara let his voice trail off when he noticed that the small demon had begun to run a bath. "Uh, Hiei, I can just wash off the blood with a wet face cloth."

"Hn. I'm assuming that you also have bruising and sore muscles from the incident, the warm water should help."

Kuwabara didn't argue: Hiei was right about the bruising and soreness. Instead he flushed the toilet, washed his hands, and began brushing his teeth. Once he finished he turned just in time to see Hiei fetch something out of the shower.

"Hey, what you got there Hiei?" The demon froze with a faint blush on his cheeks.

"The peach scented body wash." He mumbled.

"And why are you blushing over it?"

"…It goes with your cologne." Kuwabara barely heard Hiei's answer and when he did he gave him a confused look.

"Erm, I don't wear cologne." It was then Hiei turn to look confused.

"Then why… well you must where some sort of deodorant."

"Of course I do," Kuwabara turned to grab his stick of deodorant off the sink counter. "It's right here."

Hiei walked over and took the object from Kuwabara to inspect it. He took one sniff and wrinkled his nose.

"This smells disgusting, what do you _actually_ use?"

"That is what I _actually_ use."

He gave the human a disbelieving look before grabbing him around the waist and burying his face into Kuwabara's abdomen. Hiei inhaled deeply and the scent made his mouth water instantly. Yes he could faintly smell the deodorant but it was nothing compared to the spicy musk that came from Kuwabara's skin. He sighed in contentment before nuzzling into the plush softness of Kuwabara's robe. A small cough caught his attention and Hiei looked up to meet the eyes of a very red Kuwa.

"S-so you're still in heat then?" He asked in a quiet, nervous voice.

"It… would seem that way… yes." Hiei replied slowly before his heat over took him again and he returned to nuzzling into the humans stomach.

The robe slipped at the contact, revealing a small portion of Kuwabara's skin. Hiei shivered as he wondered what it would taste like. Quickly he tore away the knot out of the robes belt and let the fabric fall aside to reveal more of the human's fair skin. He took a moment to admire Kuwabara's sculpted muscular frame before he slowly ran his tongue across the human's well defined abs. Kuwabara moaned slightly before he gasped from Hiei wrapping his lips around a pert nipple. A shudder wracked through his body and Hiei grinned knowing the effect he had on the human.

With slow, teasing movements Hiei swirled his tongue around the small nub of flesh and let his hands drift lower until they were firmly grasping a cheek in each hand. He massaged the firm flesh while nipping and suckling, just so he could hear the small gasps and moans that escaped the human's lips. It wasn't until Hiei was sure he had teased it fully that he let the nipple slip from his mouth and gave it a farewell lick. He continued the soft licking, only moving a millimeter to the other side of the human's chest at a time. The sudden taste of blood covered Hiei's tongue and the demon jumped away in shock.

Kuwabara slouched down against the bathroom floor with a red face and shortness of breath. Hiei growled and clenched his fist. He couldn't believe that he had lost control of himself so easily. If it had gone any further, well, he knew he would never be able to face the human again.

"Well, I'm glad that I no longer have to intervene." Both boys looked up in shock at Kurama standing in the bathroom doorway. "Or am I interrupting something private?"

"No you are not," Hiei answered hastily before turning back to Kuwabara. "I'll go get your clothing." Then the demon left before he could reply.

"Would you like me too look at that wound of yours?" Kurama asked after a long pause.

"Yeah that would be good."

Kurama motioned for him to follow and Kuwabara complied while holding his robe closed. Hiei turned when he heard their footsteps and help up Kuwabara's clothes, looking apologetic. The fox grabbed the bundle of clothing without even glancing at the small demon who could only look down at his feet to acknowledge that fox rejected such a simple way of apologizing. Kuwabara frowned; he didn't recall Kurama ever being so abrasive to the little demon.

"If you would lie down on the bed Kuwabara I'll get started."

Kuwabara sighed and patted Hiei on the shoulder as he walked past. He sat down on the bed with his back against the pillows like Kurama instructed. The fox inspected Kuwabara's wound with calculating eyes and pursed lips. With even the slightest touch blood would well up from the wound. Kuwabara grit his teeth, Kurama was prodding the wounds with a little more pressure than was necessary and it was making it sting.

"Is this causing you pain?"

"It's just a little tender." Kurama nodded.

"Well that is to be expected, Hiei go fetch me a rag, now Kuwabara could you tell me how this happened?"

Hiei sighed and went to go fetch the cloth. It was clear to him that Kurama was still miffed about the argument they had two days ago. He supposed he couldn't really blame the fox for it. After all he was only trying to help, in a long list of times he had tried to help Hiei when the demon only insulting him for it each time. But it seemed the last argument was the last straw and now Kurama wanted nothing to do with him.

"Hiei come here, now."

Hiei flinched at the growl in the fox's voice but obeyed while handing Kurama a clean cloth he found in the bathroom.

"Is it true that you were the one to cause these injuries?"

"Now hold on Kurama I told you that it was my fau-" Kurama placed a finger over the humans lips to silence him.

"Yes Kuwabara I have heard your side of the story but right now I need Hiei's." Hiei frowned.

"I wasn't conscious when it happened…"

"Yes, I'm sorry that the wake up solution didn't work as planned. After I am done patching Kuwabara's wounds I'll be giving you a remedy to clean it out of your system."

Hiei nodded and sat at the foot of the bed to wait. He could only watch as Kurama easily healed the wounds he had inflicted on Kuwabara. Because of his heat Hiei lacked the necessary energy to heal the human himself. The fox simply pushed some his own energy into the wound which allowed it to form a strong layer of skin on top the injured flesh that would eventually heal on its own. Hiei could only stare in jealousy.

"Now try not to exert yourself too much in the next few days or it will re-open."

"Yeah don't worry Kurama I know." Kuwabara said before a long yawn escaped him. "Hey… you guys don't mind if I take a short nap right?"

Both demons shook there heads 'no' and the human managed to utter a small 'thanks' before passing out.

"Well that does explain things." Kurama said thoughtfully.

"What do mean fox?"

"Too be frank Hiei you could have been dead right now if it weren't for Kuwabara's actions. He told me that you didn't wake up until he had entered your nightmare, I'm assuming that information is correct?" Hiei nodded. "Kuwabara did not only enter your nightmare Hiei, he transferred most of his remaining energy to you so that you would be able to escape it. That would also explain why he didn't simply heal his own wounds."

Hiei was speechless; he had no idea that Kuwabara had risked such a thing. Or maybe it had been an unconscious act? Either way, an overwhelming sense of gratitude washed over him and a light blush stained his cheeks. The human was doing a lot for him lately.

"The nightmare must have been something truly terrible Hiei." Kurama said softly, effectively breaking Hiei out of his thoughts. "If you don't mind me asking… it wasn't a regular nightmare was it?"

Hiei stayed quiet, a small pit of fear formed in his gut as he looked at Kurama.

"No it wasn't…"

"Then may it have been… a memory?"

Hiei froze; the fox had hit it dead on. A perfect guess; and he hadn't even tried.

"Hiei, it's alright" Kurama kept his soft spoken tone as he laid his hand top of Hiei's in what he hoped was a comforting touch. "You can trust me."

It was a long time before Hiei answered. He tried to judge if Kurama's intensions were honest and eventually decided they were. Though he still didn't dare to speak of it out loud.

"Kurama… it is not a matter of trust when I refuse to speak of such things."

Kurama gave a sad sigh and but gave Hiei an understanding none the less.

"Well I suppose that I feel a bit of relief then, just remember that you have nothing to be ashamed of for something someone else did."

A cold shiver ran down Hiei's spine. There wasn't a doubt on his mind that Kurama knew exactly what happened in the nightmare and that the fox demon wouldn't say anything about it until Hiei did.

"Was Kuwabara able to explain to you why he had brought you here?" Hiei thought about it for a minute and realized that he honestly didn't know so he shook his head "Ah, then let me explain. We all became concerned when you didn't wake up yesterday morning and it was obvious to us that your heat was taking its toll on you. Yukina suggested that one of us take you here to Aromai and sign you up for their match making service."

"What is a matching making service?"

"It will help you find a mate, now if you don't mind I do need to check on your condition."

Hiei grumbled slightly but eventually obeyed. The fox placed two fingers against Hiei's throat and counted the pulse. It was at a higher rate than he would have liked but not in need of any attention. Kurama then tilted Hiei's face upward by the chin, allowing him to observe Hiei's eye movements. The demons eyes darted back and forth frantically and Kurama sighed in relief.

"You won't suffer any serious side effects from the overdose though I would like you to drink a mild antidote. " Kurama then held up a small bottle of thin purple liquid.

"How much of it am I supposed to drink?" The demon asked warily.

"The whole thing." Hiei rolled his eyes before draining the bottle in two gulps.

"Is that all I have to do?"

"I suggest you get dressed. I'm going to take a short shower and in the meantime you can read through these," Kurama handed Hiei a fair sized package. "Oh, and Hiei; at least try to keep your hands off our sleeping friend, okay?"

Hiei growled and swung his fist at the fox's head who laughed and easily evaded him before scurrying off to the bathroom and locking the door. The small demon shook his head in disbelief. He had a feeling that he would never truly understand the fox. With a short flick of his wrist Hiei tore open the envelope. A stack of photos, with his own lying on top stared up at him. He could only stare back in confusion before he noticed a small list written under each picture. After quickly reading what it said under his picture Hiei frowned, it listed a few of his likes and dislikes, his height, weight, gender, species , he didn't like where this was going. He quickly shuffled through the stack of twenty pictures and found Kuwabara's picture that was fashioned in the same way as his picture with a small list under it. Hiei noticed that both pictures had "Customer self-portrait" stamped on top. The other pictures consisted of demons that Hiei didn't recognize with either his name or Kuwabara's stamped at the top. Unlike his and Kuwabara's pictures the ones of the strangers had the list of information stamped on the back. After staring at the pictures for awhile Hiei realized that the pictures were for the dating service.

He still had trouble believing that Yukina of people would suggest he join such a thing or that anyone of his team mates would agree to it. Hiei grit his teeth and glared down at the sleeping Kuwabara, resenting him for bringing him to such a place. His features soon softened knowing that the human had only brought him there to try and help. Unconsciously Hiei began to pet the humans hair, marveling at how soft the curls felt while they were un-gelled and how Kuwabara's eyelashes would flutter slightly every time the demons fingers would touch his skin. Hiei let his hand drift down until his fingers were slightly brushing against the human's cheek. A small smile graced Hiei's lips as he looked at the peaceful expression Kuwabara wore while he slept. It made him seem younger, softer, and somehow he seemed gentler. More like himself than his normally rough exterior would allow. Hiei couldn't help himself any longer and leaned down, his lips mere centimeters away from the humans when a hand roughly grabbed by the robe and yanked him backwards.

"I thought I told you to keep your hands off?" Kurama scolded with a firm glare.

"I-I wasn't- I d-didn't." Hiei stuttered before giving up and covering his reddening face with hands.

Kurama sighed before grazing his fingers over Hiei's bare feet. The small demon let out a loud snort and quickly pulled his feet way while glaring at Kurama through parted fingers.

"Try that again fox and you'll lose your fingers."

"Now Hiei I only tickled your feet, there's no need to be hostile." The little demon continued to glare. "Besides I'm more interested in what you thought of the contents of the envelope."

"Completely and totally useless." Kurama gave Hiei a very frustrated look.

"You haven't tried to participate in it yet."

"I have no will to 'participate'."

"I'm not giving you a choice Hiei, you will try it for your own good."

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with these!" Hiei growled while holding up the stack of pictures.

"Well I'm sure they gave you some sort of instructions." Kurama said while riffling through the rest of the packaging Hiei had left on the bed.

In it he found separate envelopes filled with pictures of Hiei and Kuwabara that matched the style of photos from the other demons, as well as a small piece of paper explaining how the match making process worked. He handed the small piece of paper to Hiei who read through it quickly.

"This is completely asinine." Was all he said before getting up and grabbing his clothes.

"You didn't leave us many options Hiei. We are working with a strict limit with the heat draining your energy so quickly. If we were attacked while escorting Yukina there would be very little you could do." Hiei growled.

"I am perfectly capable of defending her and myself in case of an attack."

Kurama swiftly pulled a seed from his hair and flicked it at Hiei. Instantly vines sprouted and began to tightly wrap themselves around the struggling demon. Normally Hiei could easily break from Kurama's ivy vines or dodge the simple attack but with his energy drained all Hiei could do was struggle uselessly.

"Now do you see my point Hiei? You know well enough that those ivy vines are my weakest plant." Hiei huffed but nodded so that Kurama would release him.

Kurama retracted the vines back into the seed and retrieved it from where it lay on the floor. Hiei sighed in relief, if the fox had felt like it, he could have strangled him. He watched as Kurama sat down at the table to read a pamphlet before going to change in the bathroom. It wasn't until he had dressed fully that he noticed that his body temperature was much higher than normal, even for a fire demon. He took off his cloak and scarf but it did very little to help, he still felt over heated. After splashing some cold water on his face Hiei left the bathroom.

"Ah good to see you back in your regular attire Hiei, would you mind waking Kuwabara up so that we may go down to the restaurant?"

Hiei yawned; he would rather go to sleep than sit in a restaurant. One look from Kurama and he knew that sleeping wasn't an option, unless he wanted to be woken up by a deadly plant attacking his loins. He walked over to the bed swiftly, yawned a second time, before lightly shaking Kuwabara's shoulder.

"Time to go down to the restaurant human, the fox want us to get some food"

"Mmm… five more minutes." Hiei huffed.

"If you get out of bed… I might consider telling Yukina." Instantly Kuwabara was off the bed and on his feet.

"Really?" He yelled.

"No." Hiei dead panned and started walking away.

Kuwabara pouted for only a second before a wicked grin spread across his face. Swiftly he had Hiei in a head lock and was rubbing the demons scalp roughly with his knuckles. A sharp growl ripped from Hiei's throat and struggled to break free but no matter how hard he kicked or flailed his arms he could not escape the humans grip.

"Damn it oaf! Put me down now or suffer dire consequences!" Kuwabara laughed at Hiei's feeble threat.

"Pfft yeah right Hiei! You can't do anything right now." Hiei puffed his cheeks in frustration.

"I swear you will pay for this."

"Yeah sure I will." Kuwabara laughed before letting the little demon go. "Now let's get some food!"

"I suggest you get dressed first." Kurama chuckled.

"Oh right..."

Kuwabara quickly got ready then the trio gathered their belongings and left the room. Hiei sighed and gingerly ruffled his hair back in order, making a silent oath to never to lie about telling Yukina to Kuwabara ever again. He looked up at Kuwabara who was chatting with Kurama about medicinal plants, something Hiei had no interest in. He had always preferred to use his energy to heal his wounds. It was often a quicker fix and was less prone to leaving any scars behind. Of course he still knew some basic techniques but they were minimal at best.

After a quick ride down the elevator the boys walked into the restaurant and took their seats at a round booth in the far corner. A waiter quickly greeted them and handed each of them a menu. Kurama barely skimmed through the menu before he ordered the large plate of onigiri and a cup of tea. Kuwabara ordered a bento box special with an ice tea. Hiei frowned; most of the dishes were from human cuisine, a completely foreign subject to him.

"Hiei would you like a hot chocolate?" Kurama suggested, seeing Hiei's confused expression.

"What is 'hot chocolate'?"

"The sweet drink you enjoyed when you had when you visited my apartment briefly."

"Then yes..."

"I think you might like the miso soup Hiei, though it probably won't go with your hot chocolate..." Kuwabara tried.

"Hn it's worth a try." He said before handing his menu to the waiter.

Once the waiter left Kurama pulled a familiar envelope out of his side bag which was met with Hiei's glare.

"Kurama don't be ridiculous."

"Hiei, the instructions hinted that the restaurant was an optimal place for friendly interactions between guests. As you can plainly see a bar is set up at the other side of the room so it should be fairly easy to find someone to spend some private time with."

Hiei clenched his fists and grit his teeth. He hated the way the fox spoke of it so easily. As if try to find a mate so quickly was a simple task.

"I'm sure Kuwabara here could give you a demonstration."

"W-wait what?" Kuwabara sputtered.

"Well I assumed you were available since your cards are also in this envelope."

"Tho-those are only there because the lady at the desk wouldn't take no for an answer!"

"That's too bad Kuwabara, I had been hoping that you could help Hiei with this, you had a fair number of profiles to choose from..."

"What? Let me see those." Kurama handed Kuwabara's profiles over.

It was then that the waiter delivered their dishes to them. Hiei barely noticed the large bowl that had been set in front of him. He was too busy trying to discreetly catch of glimpse at the pictures Kuwabara was looking through. Kurama noticed and gave Hiei a light kick under the table. The demon gave Kurama a quick glare before switching his focus onto the soup in front of him. Pieces of green onion and tofu floated through a murky broth inside the large burgundy bowl, Hiei wasn't sure what to think of it. He tentatively picked up his spoon and ran it through the liquid, watching as it rippled and swirled. After running his spoon through it several times Hiei scooped some of it up into his spoon and sniffed it. He couldn't say that it smelt bad, in fact it smelt... kind of good. Finally he lifted the spoon to his lips and was pleasantly surprised that the thin soup tasted as good it smelt, perhaps even better. He didn't remember tasting anything like it and he couldn't seem to scoop it up fast enough.

"Whoa Hiei! Slow down before you choke."

Hiei paused to look at Kuwabara before turning back at his soup and eating it at a normal pace.

"Anyways… Kurama I'll try it but I don't think it will work."

"I'm sure you will do fine Kuwabara."

The human sighed before sliding out the booth and walking over to the bar. Hiei did his best to ignore the human's activities or the way the fox was watching him. Instead he chose to focus on his soup, though he couldn't help glancing at the human often. Kuwabara bought a drink and sipped it slowly. Hiei sighed; the human really was going to go with Kurama's plan.

"Now Hiei there's no reason to look so somber." The fox chided and Hiei gave him a fierce glare. "Unless the idea of Kuwabara finding someone else bothers you…"

A deep growl left Hiei's throat as he threw a punch straight for Kurama's smug grin. The fox simply leaned to the side, allowing Hiei's punch to hit the soft cushions behind him.

"You learn to keep your mouth shut fox!" Hiei yelled but flinched at the vicious looking glare that Kurama was sending him.

"I only speak for _your_ benefit Hiei; you would do well to listen." The fox spoke slowly, venom dripping from his voice with each word.

Hiei froze; never had Kurama spoken to him so callously. He withdrew his fist but kept it clenched while he watched for any sudden movements.

"Hiei…" Kurama pinched bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly. "I won't fight with you anymore, this arguing has become tiresome and to be completely honest, it is your choice what you do, but I hope you realize that exiling yourself from others will not help. It will only bring you pain and loneliness."

Hiei rolled his eyes, he had heard similar speech's from many others.

"Do _not_ dismiss what I have to say lightly Hiei. If you still wish to ignore my previous statements then fine but please remember this one thing. If you ever feel the need to risk something just for a chance to be with someone you can see yourself spending the rest of your life with, then take that risk. Trust me when I say that you will regret not taking such a risk for the rest of you life."

Hiei didn't know what to say. The fox had spoken with such sadness and sincerity, a sadness that echoed in his eyes as Kurama stared off into the distance. With a deep sigh the fox let his eyes drift back to Hiei.

"Kurama… was there ever a risk you did not take?" A sad smile slowly spread over the fox demons lips and he let out a shaky sigh.

"I suppose I was a bit too obvious wasn't I? Yes Hiei, as Youko I never took such a risk and I regret every one of them. All of the treasure in the three worlds could never compensate for such a loss. So please… when you have the chance, take the risk."

The small demon was quiet for a long time, contemplating what he would do. Kurama waited patiently, memories of the ones he lost drifting through his mind.

"I will… try, that's all I can promise fox."

"That's all you need to do." Kurama said relaxing back into the booths back cushion.

A sudden crash from the bar broke their peace and both demons whipped there heads around to see that a rather large tiger demon standing at eight feet tall had pinned Kuwabara down against the counter top by the throat. Both boys were up instantly and ready to charge but it was not needed as another demon came to Kuwabara's aid and pulled the other demon off of him. It didn't matter to Hiei; he still marched up to the bar. Kurama shook his head in amusement before following the small demon.

"What the hell is going on?" Hiei demanded fixing a glare on both new of the demons.

"I am very sorry. My cousin over there is very drunk and not very bright." He sent a glare towards the other demon before turning to Kuwabara. "If there is anything I could do to for you don't hesitate to ask."

Hiei could barely contain his anger when the tall demon kissed Kuwabara's hand and made the human blush. The demon was a head taller than Kuwabara and was quiet obviously a tiger demon from the black streaks in his dark blonde hair, the tiger ears and tail, and the stripes the tattooed the sides of his face and bare arms. The other demon had dark tanned skin with short wavy ebony hair that was striped the same way as his cousins. The stripes also covered his face, arms, ears and tail but more thinly than his cousins.

"Um, how about you tell me and my friends your name?" Kuwabara asked while discreetly slipping his hand out of the tiger demons grasp.

"Of course, my name is Akimitsu; my cousin over there is named Aiko. We've been traveling for weeks going north and only stopped here for the night."

"Did you say north?" Kurama interjected.

"Yes I did, are you three traveling there as well?"

"We are trying to get to Yenen mountain and are picking up two of our friends on the way."

"Ah, well we are actually travelling past there by horse, if you would like a ride it would much faster; and probably safer."

"That would be great, wouldn't you agree?" Kuwabara and Hiei nodded. "Then it's settled, when will you two be leaving?"

"Fairly soon since my cousin seems so eager to cause trouble here."

"Well we will only take few minutes to finish up here then."

Akimitsu then went back to attend to his cousin who had passed out in a random booth. Kurama then had the waiter take there food back to be placed in to-go containers while they checked out at the front desk. Soon they walked out of the hotel with their bags and food containers in hand to be greeted by Akimitsu who lead them to a horse drawn wagon. After packing away their bags into the back and covering the luggage with a sheet the boys climbed into the cramped wooden vehicle. The wagon had been built to comfortably seat the two tiger demons but with the three new additions and only one bench so Kuwabara and Hiei had to sit on the floor. Not that Hiei minded too much, he got to sit on the humans lap and enjoy his miso soup while Kuwabara willing shared some of his food with the small demon. Unnoticed to them, Kurama smiled, all had gone to plan.

**...**

**A/N: So Kurama is being his crafty self, Hiei's a horny lil bastard, and poor Kuwabara is stuck with 'em XD Oh well, the chapter ended on a happy note, I don't do that often, and usually _I'm_ not happy with 'em but this time I'm alright with it... there's plenty of other times to give the characters my own lil slice of hell D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well I tried to update as quick as possible this time and I hope it was worth it! Thank you twistedmind29 for updating your fanfic, I only wish I could write as quick as you can! And of course thank you to everyone who has reviewed Trials of Eros, you guys really do inspire me while I'm writing.**

"We should be reaching the hot spring soon."

"You'll have to be more specific, many hot springs lie around here; I don't want us ending up at the wrong one."

"It is the spring to the far left, next to the large pine." Kurama instructed and Akimitsu steered the horses into the right direction.

The fox sighed; everyone but the blonde tiger demon and he were asleep. Kuwabara had fallen asleep first, slumped against the wall of the wagon, an arm draped lazily over Hiei's waist. The fire demon had in turn curled into the human's chest with a hand clutching the taller mans shirt. Kurama could help but smile at the peaceful looks on their faces.

"So Kurama… if it's not too much to ask, what is the little one's relationship with the human?" Kurama instantly felt himself stiffen at the tiger demons words.

"Why do you ask Aki?" The tiger frowned at the sternness in Kurama's voice.

"Forgive me if I crossed a line but I do find the human… intriguing."

"Is the first time you've seen a human?"

"No, but this one's aura holds a power to it that I haven't seen before." Kurama relaxed, if only slightly.

"Ah, that would be because Kuwabara is a psychic, his body is directly connected with his spiritual energy since birth."

"Really? I had always thought it was only demons who were born connected to their energy."

"Well it is rare for humans to be born with such abilities."

Their conversation continued for some time, simply discussing the little differences between human's and demons. Akimitsu had never had a chance to ask someone about humans and he had always been curious about the other world. Kurama was happy to answer Aki's questions, the tiger never spoke condescendingly about the humans which Kurama was grateful for. Too many demons looked down at humans; though the fox had to admit that there was a time when he did to.

Yusuke sat with his back against the large pine, his eyes barely open as he watched Kurama and a stranger approach in a wagon. It had been awhile since Kurama had contacted him on the communicator and felt relieved at the site of the fox. He hated being the only one guarding Yukina. Not that he had any problem with the ice maiden but they honestly had nothing to talk about, leaving much of their trip to the hot springs in an awkward silence.

"Hey Yukina you'll want to come out now!" Yusuke yelled.

"C-coming!" She called back in a startled voice before crawling out from the bushes she had been hiding in.

Kurama sighed both seeing and hearing the exchange. Yusuke honestly didn't see that his aggressive personality made the poor girl nervous. The fox had hoped that he would have been a little easier on the ice maiden.

"So, who's the new guy?" Yusuke asked while walking up to the wagon.

"This is Akimitsu, he offered to give us a ride to Mount Yenen."

"Sweet! I swear my feet were going to blister if we had to walk another mile."

Kurama chuckled before helping both Yusuke and Yukina into the wagon. Both settled down at the bottom and fell asleep almost instantly. Kurama sighed; he knew it wouldn't be long before he fell asleep as well.

The wagon ride lasted a full day and a half with the only a few short breaks in between. Most of their time was spent sleeping; Aki and Aiko would both take turns leading the horses through the thick forest. Both tigers knew the path well, having traveled many times to gather supplies for the village in the Northern Mountains. A slight bump in the road woke Kuwabara who blinked blearily in confusion when he saw the night sky.

"Jeez I mustn't have slept much if it's still night time."

"On the contrary, you've slept a full day and half the night." Said Akimitsu with a laugh.

"W-wait seriously?" Kuwabara asked in alarm. "I don't think I've ever slept that long before."

"It happens to all of us."

"Yeah, happens to my sister a lot 'cause she can turn her alarm clock off in her sleep."

"Oh you have a sister?"

"Yeah, eight years older than me."

"I have a brother, much younger than I am. Only five years old."

"Really, what's he like?"

"Very shy and caring, I fear he may not grow to be much of a fighter though to be honest I would regret it if he did."

"Why's that?"

"Many fighters in the village, like my cousin Aiko, they take un-necessary risks. It can lead to some serious repercussions."

"Yeah… I guess you can only hope for the best right?"

"Very true, you may want to wake your comrades up now; we are only a few meters away from the base of Mount Yenen."

"So soon?" Aki nodded. "Wow your horses are really fast."

"Thank you, the leader of our village trained them himself."

"What is your leader like?"

"Strong, fast, beautiful, and powerful, a true melanistic leopard of fire. I must admit that I would pursue his affections if he did not have a wife." Kuwabara nodded awkwardly before turning his attention back to his friends.

He looked down at Hiei who slept comfortably; it really didn't seem fair to wake up the small demon when he was sleeping so peacefully but he knew it had to be done. With gentle fingers he brushed Hiei's hair away from his eyes before whispering into the little demons ear.

"Hey Hiei, it's time to wake up little guy."

Hiei yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before he looked up at Kuwabara and a faint blush coated his cheeks.

"Where… are we?" He asked groggily.

"At the bottom of Mount Yenen." Kuwabara answered, noting that Hiei once again looked like he had not slept.

"Are there any those hot springs near by?" It was Akimitsu who answered Hiei.

"Yes, over there in the Sakura trees you should find some, though if you need me to lead you the-" Hiei didn't wait to hear the end of the tigers sentence, he simply disappeared into the trees.

Kuwabara sighed before waking up the others, slightly wondering why the demon was so quick to rush to the hot springs. Everyone woke up slowly, sore from having to sleep in a cramped wagon but grateful to the tiger demons for giving them a ride and cutting off days of walking from their trip.

"Thanks for the ride Aki, good luck on the rest of your trip!" Kuwabara grinned up the tiger demon.

"And I wish good luck for yours as well, perhaps some day you will be able to see our village."

"Yeah maybe some day."

The group then waved good bye to the two tigers before turning to make camp, knowing they would have to venture into the ice maidens village at day break. Kuwabara quickly gathered up some wood and started a modest sized fire for Kurama to cook a small dinner on.

"Kuwabara, may you fetch Hiei? Dinner is almost ready."

"Yeah no problem." He said while brushing some dust off his jeans before walking towards the hot springs.

Hiei groaned before a shudder wracked through his aching body. He had hoped the warm water would help calm his heat but it only seemed to be getting worse. With even the slightest movement a searing pain would rip through his body and cause all his muscles to tense at once. It was by far the worst heat in his life; he almost wished he had taken Kurama's warning seriously. He considered himself lucky that he had made it to the waters edge before the pain became unbearable. If he hadn't he would have drowned.

"Hey Hiei where are you?" He heard Kuwabara yell from a distance.

Another shudder shook Hiei but this time with fear. He didn't want the human seeing him in such a weak state. The grass gave way as Hiei desperately clawed at the ground, trying to lift himself from the water, but too no avail. A small whimper left his lips as he slipped back into the lukewarm spring while hearing the sound of foot steps getting closer, the water slowly rising past his neck as he had no way to stop from sliding under the waters surface.

"Hiei!" A strong pair of hands pulled the small demon from the water and he shivered as the cold air hit his wet skin. "Jesus man you're shaking a lot."

It was true; the demons body trembled violently as Kuwabara held him. The human quickly shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around Hiei. He frowned when the demon gave him no response. Kuwabara had expected a lot of yelling or at least a little squirming. He lifted Hiei's chin and flinched, the demon had once again passed out because of his heat. Kuwabara sighed; he knew what he had to do. With the small amount of spirit energy he had left concentrated Kuwabara attempted to reach back into Hiei's dreamscape. The only problem was, he couldn't find one.

Hiei blearily opened his eyes in confusion. He was lying on his side, curled into the fetal position, and everything was pitch black.

"So you've hidden us from the human?" A deep clam voice echoed through the darkness.

"Precisely, besides if he does detect us I'll just zap 'em with a bit of energy." A high voice answered with a more wicked tone to it.

Hiei sat up and squinted, trying to see where the owners of the two voices were but all he could see was the same murky black that surrounded him.

"Shush now, our visitor is awake."

A bright light suddenly blinded Hiei and he had to shield his eyes with his arm. A shrill laughed filled the air and he growled. The laughter abruptly stopped and Hiei tensed as a silence stretched through the air. Without warning something tackled Hiei from the side sending both the demon and his attacker tumbling. When they finally came to a stop Hiei could only stare upwards with wide eyes as his Jaganshi self stared back with a sinister smiled stretched across his face.

"Hello my conflicted little friend." He laughed with the same high voice as before.

"W-what the hell is going on!" Hiei yelled in panic, the Jaganshi had effectively pinned him down and was hovering over him with a devious look in all of his eyes.

"Oh sweetie don't be afraid just let us ... take care of you." The Jaganshi then descended, nipping Hiei's neck harshly before lapping at the soft and bruised skin while using his hands to fondle the demons chest with his thumbs rubbing circles on the small demons pert nipples and making him gasp.

"G-get off me!" He managed to say before a slight moan escaped him.

"Mm but you taste so lovely." The Jaganshi said with a lick before looking into Hiei's eyes. "And besides, you make the nicest little noises." He purred while kneading the demon's package in the palm of his hand.

Another moan left Hiei's lips and he struggled to free himself from the Jaganshi's grasp. Then his doppelganger lay flat against him, arms wrapped tightly around his waist as he kissed his face and neck.

"That's enough little one."

The Jaganshi made a whining noise but obeyed the deep voices owner and crawled off Hiei. Slowly Hiei got up from the ground too stand, though he supposed he couldn't really call it 'ground' since everything was the same monotone shade of black. Everything except for the cold silver light that came from above, illuminating him and the two other figures in the 'space'. In front of him sat his Jaganshi form, legs crossed, drawing imaginary circles on the ground with his index finger. Hiei sneered, to him the green demon in front him was impulsive, relying to heavily on his emotions and not enough on skill, overall the green demon was weak. If Hiei had not been drained of energy from his heat he knew that he could have easily destroyed the other.

"Do not look down on him demon."

Hiei jumped slightly as a man with long hair appeared beside him. Again he was struck with surprise at how much the other man looked like himself. The man was tall, twice the height of Hiei with piercing violet eyes and midnight black hair. Streaks of snow white spread through his bangs in a star pattern, framing the aristocratic features of his face. While the Jaganshi only wore a pair of pants and shoes that matched Hiei's, the other man wore a suit of cobalt robes which could rival any nobleman's with its fine silk.

"Who the hell are you two, and why should I care?" Hiei spat harshly, not letting his nervousness show.

"My name is Kuromasaru, I am the dragon that resides in your right arm and that one over there is the spirit of your Jagan eye."

Hiei froze; he couldn't believe what he had just heard. He looked down at his arm and was shocked. The dragon tattoo was no longer wrapped around his arm nor did he feel the familiar bandage that usually covered his Jagan wrapped around his forehead. He hesitantly lift his hand up to his face, gently feeling the spot that his Jagan once resided. Dizziness welled inside Hiei and he felt his knees grow weak before giving out from under him. Kuro caught him under the arm.

"There is no need to worry young demon, it is only in this space that you lack our powers." Hiei shook his head in disbelief.

"What and where is this space exactly?"

"You made this space Hiei, years ago when chose to lock away pieces of yourself, then you locked it deep inside the quietest part of your sub-conscious and then you locked both the Jagan and I here while you freely used our powers without a care." The dragons grip suddenly turned painfully and Hiei cringed. "Understand this now Hiei; I do not like you, I find you to be an egotistical brat. The only thing that keeps me from truly hating you is pity." A growl ripped from Hiei's throat as he wrenched his arm away from the dark haired man.

"Pity!" He spat. "There is no reason for something like you to pity me!"

"Oh really? I have no reason to pity a creature who isolates himself despite craving the acceptance of others? No reason to pity the boy who was torn away from his mother and twin sister as a baby to be cast away to die? No reason to pity the child you was hurt so terribly by the very bandits that adopted him? I know of all your thoughts and memories Hiei now can you honestly say that I have no reason to pity you!"

Hiei took a few steps back, struck speechless by the furious dragon. He could only stare back at the dragon with a venomous glare as the taller man crossed his arms in defiance. A small tug on his pant leg made Hiei break his gaze to look down. The Jaganshi had gently curled his arms around Hiei's leg and rested his head against him in a comforting jester. Hiei growled.

"Get the hell off me you disgraceful little imp!" He yelled before kicking the Jaganshi away, sending him sprawled on his back a meter and a half away.

The Jaganshi sat up slowly, a small whimper leaving him as a sharp pain echoed from his ribs. Tears fell from the Jaganshi's main eyes as he tried and failed to choke back a sob. He then tucked his knees up to his chest and hid his face in shame as he cried quietly. Hiei was once again struck speechless. A well of guilt lodged itself in his throat as he saw the Jaganshi cry. Kuromasaru only sighed before walking over to the Jagan and kneeling beside him so that he could wrap his arms around the green demons small shoulders. Said green demon sniffed slightly before curling into the dragons embrace.

"Do not be so harsh towards your Jaganshi Hiei; he is your only way out of here after all."

"T-that thing molested me as soon as I woke up!"

"Your Jaganshi experiences the emotions that you refuse to, and since you use so much self control to do so, your Jaganshi has very little of his own. He had been more than eager to finally meet you and well… his affections for you clouded his judgement."

Hiei huffed before squinting up at the cold silver light that shone down at them. He knew he had to get out of here; Kuwabara had been searching for him before he blacked out. The human had probably found him by now and Hiei shuddered as he remembered that he had been bathing moments before. It took all his will power to not think about how pathetic he must have looked and instead tried to figure out a way on how to get out of the space. He looked down at the Jaganshi and a sudden realization made him glare.

"_You_ brought me here." Hiei growled.

The Jaganshi flinched but nodded.

"The-there's something's you need to know before I let you go back," Hiei crossed his arms in impatience while the Jaganshi finally stood and wiped away the few tears that still clouded his vision. "You have been only feeling a fraction of your heat and I have been experience the rest of it."

Instantly a jumble of thoughts clouded Hiei's mind as he tried to make sense of what he had just heard. His heat had been nothing but torment for the past few days, constantly eating away at his energy and self control. It seemed impossible to him that what he had been experiencing was only a mere fraction of what he should have been feeling.

"Exactly how much of my heat are you keeping from me?"

"Well I tried to keep as much as I could so you should only be feeling a little under a tenth of what I get."

Hiei froze, if it wasn't for his Jagan, he knew that his constant refusal to listen to his heat would have killed him a long time ago.

"How is it that you've been able to survive so long in this space?" The Jaganshi suddenly smiled.

"Well I'm sure you've noticed those nice little fantasies that keep popping into your mind, Kuro and I have plenty of fun making up those lovely little scenarios in hope that you take the friggin' hint and get laid!" He yelled with sudden frustration.

"Do _not_ yell at me!" The Jaganshi simply dismissed Hiei's warning with a wave f his hand.

"Like you can do anything about it, anyways what I'm getting at is that Kuro and I have been using our power to hold back your heat in hopes that it would make finding a mate for you easier but now it's getting to be too strong for us to take upon ourselves. When you wake up from here, you will feel the full force of your heat crash upon you which probably means you'll go rabid for awhile before you finally calm down again. This is the last night of your heat sweet heart but in all honesty you're not likely to… make it." The Jaganshi let his voice trail off sadly as he looked down at his feet, a few more tears falling from his eyes.

"And if this heat doesn't kill me?"

"Then we will once again be taking a fraction of your heat upon ourselves but this time for a price."

"A price? What exactly are you trying to pull here?"

"I think of it less as a price and more as a fair trade. For one day out of your week of heat you let either me or Kuro here take over body as our forms that you see before you." Hiei stiffened instantly.

"Why on earth would I agree to let either of you take over my body, there's no telling what type of mischief you would get into and I'm not exactly trusting of the dragon either."

"Pfft neither of us would wander or cause any _mischief_, we merely want to stretch our legs once in awhile instead of staying trapped in this space until the end of your days. " Hiei sighed in exasperation, he saw no way out of his situation.

"_Fine_, but the deal is off as soon as either of you slip up." The Jaganshi pumped both fist in the air with a victory shout.

"Great!" He then paused before a look of adoration came over him. "The human found us, he's worried about you, so sweet of him."

"What is he saying exactly?" Kuromasaru asked.

"Well he found Hiei unconscious and I'm just filling him in on the whole situation through the telepathic link he created, he's being so kind. Hiei I don't know how you can keep your hand off him!" Hiei growled and the Jaganshi laughed. "Oh don't get so defensive over your little crush, I for one completely approve of your affections for the human. He's stronger than any other human I know of, he can defend himself when needed, he's not afraid to show his true emotions, he has a kind heart, and I don't even have to mentions those delicious muscles of his, I might start drooling."

Hiei rolled his eyes in disbelief at the creature in front of him; he couldn't believe the green demon could be his Jagan.

"Well that's simple Hiei, before I became you're third eye I had been my own Jaganshi demon."

Hiei froze, the Jaganshi had just responded to his thoughts, meaning that through his entire time in the space the Jaganshi had been hearing all of his thoughts. A wave of guilt suddenly caught Hiei as realized that the Jagan had heard all of the insulting things he thought of the Jaganshi. In return the Jaganshi only smiled kindly before hugging Hiei close to him.

"You know, I can't remember what my original demon form looked like," He whispered sadly. "I can't even remember what my name was. All I know is that I was a Jaganshi with a mother and sister; all three of us had been captured by a demon named Chourin who stole our eyes. First she took our amplifying eyes from our bodies, then she took our soul eyes, the last thing I remember of my mother and sister was seeing their limp bodies hanging from chains, then I woke as a Jagan eye inside a glass jar being sold at auction to a demon doctor you tried to implant me into demons who desired the power I could offer. I was so filled with rage; I killed every single one of them as painfully as I could, making sure they never saw the light of day again, just like my family. Then… you came along Hiei and like the others, as soon as the doctor implanted me, I tried to kill you. But then I saw you memories flashing before your eyes, such heart breaking memories, I knew that I could never hurt you again. So I became your Jagan eye and stayed dormant here, helping you the best I could but… it's not enough anymore Hiei. S-so find someone for yourself, even if it's for a little while, just make yourself happy…okay?"

Hiei nodded solemnly before hugging the Jaganshi back who was once again crying.

"There is nothing to cry about…" Hiei tried," Kurama has been giving me a slight remedy for my heat, it should help me survive the night."

The Jaganshi nodded before looking into Hiei's eyes.

"For your sake Hiei… I dearly hope you are right. When you wake up Kuwabara will be there waiting for you. It would be best if you were to explain exactly what is happening to you."

"But I thought you-"

"I only told him that Kuro and I needed to have a chat with you, it is your job to tell him the rest." Hiei nodded in understanding.

"Will you ever be bringing me back here again?"

"Only if you want to visit us again, now it's time for you to go, "He kissed Hiei on the cheek. "And I wish you good luck."

And with that said, Hiei felt a pull at the back of his mind as the space was suddenly whisked away from his vision. He knew it wouldn't be long until he woke up with his heat once again threatening his life.

**A/N: Aw I'm going to miss the little Jaganshi, I hope I can fit him into a future chapter but they are all pretty much planned out now. With the outline I wrote up there's going to be probably 18 chapters… most being around the 5,000 word mark… yeah. Anyways I hope you guys liked this chapter I'll get the next one up as soon as possible :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Another chapter finished! I feel so proud of myself :) Thank you everyone for your reviews and thank you to all the people who have written more Hiei/Kuwa fanfiction I'm loving your guys work!**

**Small warning that this chapter gets pretty steamy ;)**

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Hiei groaned as he slowly woke, holding a hand to his temple as he felt the dull throb of a head ache forming.

"Thank god, I was beginning to think you would never wake up." Kuwabara sighed before smiling gently at the small demon in his arms.

"Hn, you can blame the Jagan for that."

"Yeah, he pretty much explained everything." Hiei paused.

"What do you mean by everything?"

"Erm well he was pretty descriptive about all of it." He said awkwardly.

Hiei shook his head in disbelief before noticing that the human was holding him close in an almost protective manner. He blushed before squirming out of the humans grasp. Kuwabara apologized before awkwardly handing the demon his clothes. Hiei slipped on his pants before sitting with his back against the trunk of a large cherry blossom tree. He knew that the effects of from his heat were about to sky rocket; his energy was already drained; now all he could do was wait.

"I'll go tell the others that you can't make it to dinner, okay?" Kuwabara asked and Hiei nodded.

Kuwabara stood and brushed the dust off his jeans before running back towards the others who sat around the camp fire enjoying the stew Kurama had made. Kurama raised an eye brow when he saw that Hiei was missing and gave Kuwabara a questioning look.

"Uh guys, Hiei's not doing so well so he won't be able to make it to dinner." Kurama sighed while the other two gave Kuwabara worrying looks.

"That is too bad," Kurama said before holding out two bowls of stew. "If you could please make sure he eats his dinner it would help greatly, I put some medicine in his stew that should ease any pain he has. Hiei's bowl is the red while yours is the blue."

Kuwabara thanked the fox before grabbing both bowls and heading back to Hiei. When he got back to the clearing he saw that Hiei had used his belts to tie himself down to the tree roots. Kuwabara sighed as Hiei tested the strength of his bindings. The demon seemed satisfied when the fabric failed to rip or tear when he used his all strength against them.

"Is that really necessary Hiei?" The human asked before sitting beside the small demon.

"Of course it is! Did my Jagan explain that I would turn rabid at some point?"

"Well yeah but-"

"But what?" Hiei snapped as he felt his headache throb painfully.

"But now that you're all tied up how are you going to eat your food?"

Hiei looked down blankly at the bowls of stew before glaring.

"Damn it." He muttered.

Kuwabara sighed before rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"If it'll help I could uh... feed you."

Hiei gave the human a blank look before opening his mouth. Kuwabara sighed and lifted a spoonful of stew into Hiei's mouth. It was a slow process but eventually Hiei's bowl was empty and the demons stomach was satisfied. Hiei relaxed back against the tree and yawned while Kuwabara turned his attention to his own bowl of stew. The human grimaced at the stews cold temperature but tried to eat it anyways. He stopped when he felt Hiei nudge his knee against his thigh.

"If you place the bowl in my right hand I may persuade my dragon to warm it for you." Kuwabara did as the demon said and almost immediately the stew was back to a steaming temperature.

"Awesome, thanks man!" He said before taking the bowl and petting Hiei's hair before pausing briefly and petting the head on Hiei's dragon tattoo "And thank you too, though I have no idea if you can hear me." A slight tingling sensation from the tattoo told Hiei that the dragon had in fact heard Kuwabara.

"He heard you," another tingle made Hiei's eye twitch. "And I believe he would say you're welcome if he was able."

"He? So you saw him to in that space with the Jagan then?" Hiei nodded. "What were they like?"

Hiei sighed before describing each of his other selves to the human. Kuwabara listened intently while he ate his stew. Hiei left a few parts, namely how his Jagan got a little too personal when he first saw him or that his dragon nearly hated him. Soon the bowl was empty and Kuwabara sighed in contentment.

"So they both looked kind of like you then?"

"Basically, there were only slight differences."

"Yeah... Hey I wonder if you're going to look like the dragon did when you're older."

"Highly unlikely, I finished growing fifteen years ago."

"Oh… then maybe that's what your dad looked like." Hiei stiffened and Kuwabara worried that he had crossed a line.

"I... wouldn't know; I never saw my father." The demon said solemnly and Kuwabara bowed his head, ashamed that he had brought it up.

"I-I wish I didn't know my Dad." Hiei blinked at the human but said nothing, waiting for him to continue. "H-he was a real bastard; always drinking... he used to beat up my Mom real bad. She would make me and Shizuru hide when he got home from the bar. Usually we hid in our room 'cause there was a lock on the door. Sometimes we would peak through a crack to see what was happening but neither of us could stand to watch it for more than a few seconds but we couldn't block out the noise of what he was doing..." Kuwabara bit his lip before shivering as his eyes teared up; Hiei swiftly untied his arms from the bindings before gently resting one of his hands on top of Kuwabara's in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. "O-one night the fighting got real bad and I ran out the room screaming at him to stop b-but he didn't. H-he swung a booze bottle down at me and it smashed on the back of my head. Mom screamed when she saw me bleeding and Dad swung the bottle back at her... I-I remember her falling backwards, the-then Shizuru was screaming... I-I remember seeing red... it was all over the floor. A-and Mom sh-she wasn't" He took a deep breath before continuing. "She wasn't moving." He whispered as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "Shizu called an ambulance and they came with the cops, they tried to arrest Dad but he took one of their guns and tried shooting them so they shot him first. Mom was in the hospital for awhile, she sent us to live with an aunt until she got better… but she didn't get better, and died a week later. We lived with our aunt until Shizuru was old enough to own an apartment, then we moved."

Hiei couldn't speak; he didn't know what to say. He gently wiped away the tear before wrapping his arms around Kuwabara's shoulders and let the human cry against him. Kuwabara didn't make any noise when he cried he simply let the tears fall as Hiei held him.

"I am sorry that... such a thing happened to you." Hiei tried. "I would have never guessed... you always seemed so happy." Kuwabara slowly shook his head with a grim smile on his face.

"I didn't want anyone to know... but I think its okay... if you know. Since I know some of your past... you can know some of mine. And besides, it happened a long time ago." Kuwabara sighed and Hiei looked into his eyes.

The human seemed more relaxed than before, a small smile even rested on his lips, but there was still sadness in his eyes. Hiei's eyelids drooped before leaning forward, pressing his lips to Kuwabara's as he tightened his hold on the human's shoulders. His lips were soft and sweet, just like he had imagined, the only part he didn't imagine was the human flinching away from the kiss.

"I-I am sorry." The demon stuttered out before pulling away and sitting back down against his tree.

"S'okay you're in heat so... you have your impulses." Hiei nodded though he knew that his heat was not the reason for the kiss.

"It would be best if you retied my binds and went back to the others..." Kuwabara shook his.

"Nope, the Jagan told me things were going to get pretty nasty for ya and I'm going to make sure you turn out alright."

Hiei sighed but didn't argue. Instead he curled on his side and waited for the heat to takes it toll on him. Unfortunately it didn't take long, a slow burning ache settled in Hiei's bones; the feeling crawled its way through each and every muscle before seeping up into his skin. The demon shook from the pain; it felt like he was being devoured from the inside out. Kuwabara did his best to help but there was little he could do. He rubbed gentle circles on the demons back, trying to relax the tense muscles. Hiei leaned into the touch, a faint groan leaving his lips. Kuwabara blushed but continued massaging the small demons back. The demon bit his lip before arching his back into the human's delicate touch. His skin was beginning to feel like it was on fire but every little touch from Kuwa managed to extinguish the pain for a brief moment. He panted before growling in frustration. It had only been an hour and he was already losing control of himself.

Kuwabara bit his lip; it was painful to see the little demon in so much pain. Hiei let out a gasp before he curled into a ball, as if to shield himself from his own heat. The human sighed before rubbing the demons back and shoulders, coaxing the muscles back into a slack state, allowing the demon to uncurl himself. He truly wished there was something else he could do for the little demon.

Another pain filled groan left Hiei's lips and the demon clawed his fingers into the ground. He desperately wanted the pain to end. Then his hand hit something solid and he snatched it away in surprise. His feverish eyes saw the gray bark on tree root before darting over to the bindings that were still tied around the tree's base. With a short moan Hiei turned away; Just the sight of the bindings brought multiple erotic fantasies swimming through his mind. It seemed so tempting to be tied up and pleasured, or maybe, to do the same to someone else. Hiei growled before slamming his Jagan eye against the ground. Pain exploded through his head and Hiei almost screamed as it blended into the pain from his heat.

"_You shouldn't try to punish me sweet heart, I'm not forging any fantasies this time."_

Another growl left Hiei throat as he heard the Jaganshi's voice echo through his mind. He rolled over onto his back, trying to look at the stars but all he saw were the pink flowers of the cherry blossom tree, and the worried expression on Kuwabara's face. He turned his attention on to the human, letting his eyes glide over Kuwabara's muscular form as the human massaged the cramped muscles in Hiei's arms. The human wore a simple white t-shirt under his unzipped blue jacket, the white cotton wet from fishing Hiei out of the hot springs. The fabric had gone translucent from the water and clung close to the human's skin, outlining each and ever muscle of Kuwabara's well built stomach. Hiei licked his lips hungrily. A thin brown belt wrapped around the humans hips, preventing his loosely fitting jeans from falling; the demon knew it wouldn't take much to break the thin leather. With blinding swiftness Hiei flipped the human onto his back, his lips firmly pressed against the others. A gasp escaped from Kuwabara's lips, allowing just enough room for Hiei to slip his tongue inside. He moaned at the feeling of gently coaxing the humans tongue into play. A small grin found its way to Hiei's lips as Kuwabara tentatively kissed back.

'So the human's not going to shy away this time.' He thought before sliding his hands under Kuwabara's shirt.

The human shivered at his touch but didn't protest. Instead he pulled the demon closer until they were pressed flush against each other. Hiei moaned at the contact before removing Kuwabara's shirt and jacket with a few quick pulls, only breaking the kiss for a brief moment to let the fabric through. They shuddered as their heated bare skin met. With a slight thrust Hiei ground himself down against Kuwabara and the human gasped before a moan left him. The demon couldn't help but grin in satisfaction at the noise. Another grind and Kuwabara almost lost himself. Hiei descended down to the human's neck, sucking the soft flesh there while he quickly unclasped the small belt.

A slow whine left Kuwabara as Hiei slid lower, making a trail of soft nips as he went. The whine turned into a moan as the fire demon's lips wrapped around a nipple and tugged. Hiei continued to tease the small nub before latching onto the other one and giving it the same treatment. He then slipped lower, kissing down to the human's navel, circling around it with his tongue before dipping lightly inside and nipping the edge. With his teeth Hiei dragged down the zipper, drawing a low groan from Kuwabara. The groan turned into a long moan as Hiei used his tongue to massage the humans cock through the thin fabric of his boxers. He paid special attention to the head before pulling away a slipping both the jeans and boxers down Kuwa's hips. He gasped before shuddering at the feeling of the cool night air hitting his hardness.

"Relax Kazuma." Hiei hushed as he wrapped a hand around the humans cock.

"Ngh… h-how am I- mmph "He had to pause as Hiei twisted his wrist, letting his hand glide over Kuwabara heated flesh. " S-Supposed to relax when you keep teasing me?"

Hiei smirked before moving his hand in slow teasing strokes.

"Hm, I'm teasing you am I?" He said with a small squeeze.

The human growled before jerking his hips away from Hiei's grasp. The demon let go in surprise and Kuwabara took the chance to pin Hiei underneath him. A pout covered Hiei's lips; it was Kuwabara's turn to smirk.

"Aw don't worry lil guy, just because you're not on top doesn't mean it won't feel good."

Hiei glared and Kuwabara gave him a gentle peck on lips before nipping the demons neck. A startled moan left Hiei and Kuwabara started to nurse on that one spot, licking, sucking, and biting on the sensitive skin until it almost drove the small demon mad. Hiei knew his neck had always been sensitive to touch; it was why he usually covered it with a scarf, but he had no idea just how much pleasure it could bring him. Another moan left him as he arched his hips. Kuwabara took the opportunity to remove Hiei's pants. He then sucked on three of his fingers, making sure that each of them became slick. Hiei shivered nervously and bit his lips, preparing for the same pain he had felt before. Kuwabara carefully slid a finger into Hiei's entrance, frowning as he felt Hiei clench tightly around the digit.

"Hiei… you got to relax or it won't feel good."

The demon shuttered before slowly relaxing himself, still biting his lip. Kuwabara kissed his cheek and wrapped an arm around the Hiei's waist before slowly sliding his finger deeper. Hiei gasped before Kuwabara kissed him gently on the lips, brining the last bit of comfort the demon needed to relax as the human stretched him. He wrapped his arms around Kuwabara's shoulder as the human used another finger to stretch him further. A small whimper trembled through his lips as Kuwabara thrusted in and out of his small entrance before adding a third finger. The demon groaned at the feeling before thrusting himself down against the fingers, letting the human know he was finally ready. Kuwabara deepened the kiss, tangling tongues as the demon kissed back feverishly. He could taste blood and knew Hiei had been biting his lip to hard. After lifting Hiei's hips he positioned himself. The demon gasped he felt the humans tip press against his hole but tried his best not to tense up. Hiei threw his head back in a silent scream as Kuwabara slid inside him. The pain was immense but it was nothing compared to the intense pleasure he felt. A small whimper left his throat as the human seemed to sink impossibly deep into him before stopping.

"Y-you okay?" Kuwabara panted, barely able to keep himself from thrusting wildly into the warm body beneath him.

Hiei didn't speak; he merely wrapped his legs tightly around the human's hips, and grinned. Kuwabara smiled back before he sunk even further into Hiei. The human waited until Hiei relaxed fully before thrusting forward, driving himself the final bit in. Both moaned as their hips finally met. The demon tightened his hold on Kuwabara's shoulders, desperately holding on as he felt the human's pulsing heat inside him. He soon grew impatient at Kuwabara's stillness and bit the human's shoulder.

"Ouch, the heck was that for?"

"Not moving!" Hiei growled while squeezing his legs even tighter around the human's waist.

Kuwabara rolled his hips and the demon groaned at the feeling. The human started slow, gently building momentum until all they could hear was the slap of skin on skin and their panting breath. A sudden moan ripped from Hiei's throat as Kuwabara hit a spot depth within that made sparks cloud his vision. Kuwabara grinned before moving to hit the spot with every thrust of his hips. Hiei lost controls of his vocals as shockwave after shockwave wracked through his body. Another long moan ripped from his throat as Kuwabara began sucking on his neck, only adding to the intense pleasure he was feeling. With one last cry Hiei came, spilling his seed over both their stomachs. Kuwabara gave the demon one last kiss as his own orgasm hit him, the tightening of Hiei around him bringing him over the edge.

Both collapsed on the soft grass, falling asleep moment afterwards, neither sure of what the morning would bring them.

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**A/N: Bit of mood whiplash this chapter, poor Kuwa, I knew I was going to give him a hard past but… yeah I kind of feel bad now :(**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**** Thank you everyone for your amazing reviews, hope you enjoy the chapter.**

A light breeze woke Hiei, cherry blossom petals brushing over his naked skin as they scattered in the wind. The demon shivered before slowly raising himself into a crouching position. With a yawn he stretched himself out, cringing at the sudden pain that shot up from his backside. Memories of the night before made him lick his lips fondly. Kuwabara lay in the grass beside him, still sleeping after their long night. Hiei sighed before smiling in contentment.

He crawled over to the hot spring, slipping under the water surface and let it soothe his sore muscles. His heat was over, finally allowing him to relax. After washing the evidence of the night before away he dressed in his usual attire and hunted through the bushes for breakfast. He didn't find much, only a few eatable roots along with a small pheasant that had been nesting on freshly laid eggs. It wasn't long before he had the pheasant roasting on a fire, the roots stuffed inside, and the eggs frying on a smooth flat rock he had placed near the flames. The demon then stretched out his arms before turning his attention back to the slumbering human.

Kuwabara shivered in his sleep making Hiei frown before draping the human's jacket over his pale shoulders. The shivering stopped and the demon smiled before lightly running his fingers through the human's un-gelled hair. It had been a long time since Hiei had felt so at peace. He only hoped that the human didn't feel too rushed into a relationship. A sudden yawn broke Hiei from his thoughts. Kuwabara rubbed the sleep from his eyes before jolting upright, a dark blush coating his face.

"Sleep well?" Hiei asked in a teasing tone, amused at the human's antics.

"Y-yeah," He managed to stutter out before clearing his throat "So… your heats finally gone?"

"Yes." Hiei answered slowly, wondering why that was the human's first question.

"Good… sorry 'bout last night, I-I mean, well I had to help you some how ya know?"

Hiei felt his stomach fall as realization dawned on him. The human had only acted out of fear for the demons health, not out of any deeper emotions. A sad sigh escaped his lips as the familiar feeling of sorrow washed away the contentment he had felt moments before, leaving the demon to feel empty and alone once more.

"You have no need to apologize, bathe before you dress yourself or the others will be able to smell last night on you."

Kuwabara rushed over to the hot spring and Hiei slumped down in front of the fire, making sure that the food didn't scorch. He then swore, angry at himself for ever thinking that the night before would mean something. It had been to rushed, he hadn't spent the necessary time to make his intentions clear, nor had he even let his feelings for the human be known. In essence, Hiei had messed up, and it was his own damn fault. He ground his teeth together in frustration as he felt his eyes sting with tears and despite his efforts, a few still fell, solidifying into ruby red gems before hitting the ground. The demon angrily rubbed his eyes dry with his sleeve before hiding the red tear gems inside his scarf.

As soon as Kuwabara finished bathing Hiei served breakfast, slicing the pheasant in half before placing it into the bowls he had previously washed clean in a stream. They ate in silence, neither of them bothering with conversation. Once they finished, Hiei doused the fire and cleaned the bowls while Kuwabara dressed himself. The human worried slightly about why the demon was being so quiet but decided not to pry as they walked back towards the others. Kurama and Yukina were ready to leave while Yusuke still slept. Both demons looked up as they heard their companion's footsteps.

"Brother!" Instantly Hiei froze, had he heard Yukina right?

"Now Hiei I can explain!" Kurama tried in a calm voice, though some of the panic etched into his voice as Yukina wrapped her arms tightly around the fire demon.

"Y-Yusuke said you were," a small hiccup escaped her and she looked at Hiei with hopeful, tear filled eyes.

Despite the rage that boiled inside him, Hiei managed to calmly pull their Mother's tear gems off his neck before draping them over Yukina's, he would have his revenge on Yusuke later. The ice maiden grew silent before slapping Hiei across his face. The fire demon stood there in shock, frozen in place by Yukina's icy glare. She then turned and walked away from him, heading towards Yenen Mountain, and towards the ice maiden's floating island.

Hiei let a shaky sigh pass his lips before he covered his emotions up with his usual mask of indifference to the world around him. The only part of him that betrayed any emotion was his eyes. The vibrant red seemed to dull, leaving them to look empty and lifeless.

Kuwabara moved to rest a hand on Hiei's shoulder but the demon pulled away, walking forward in the same direction as his sister. Though a part of Hiei yearned to turn around and run back into Kuwabara's gentle arms he continued forward; convincing himself that if he turned back it would only bring more of the painful regret that had settled in his chest. His sister now hated him, something he had always expected from her if she learned that they were siblings. It only confirmed his suspicions that his existence was meant to be a lonesome one. Free of any companionship aside from his own shadow.

The others followed quietly, no one daring to speak after such a scene. They passed several small villages but paid them no mind. Only low class demons lived on the mountain, gentle creatures who feared any outside contact and thus resulted their fear of the unknown. It was no wonder as to why the ice maidens chose trade with them, there was little difference in their cultures.

Hiei tried his best not to think about the ice maiden's, he knew his arrival would be an unwelcome one and it wasn't something he was looking forward to.

An icy wind blew from the glacier like island as they walked towards it's barren plain. Yusuke and Kuwabara shivered, neither of them had felt such a bitter cold. Yukina did not shiver, she kept her head held high and walked forward with her face frozen as a mask of indifference, much like her brother. The ice maidens scurried into their houses as soon as they saw the group. Harsh whispers and suspicious murmurs could be heard as they walked past locked doors. The boys paid no attention to the women, instead they focused on following Yukina as she walked towards a white temple set on top of a tall cliff overlooking the village

The temple was small but decorative. Hiei could not help but admire the pearls that had been set into the stone wall, or the silver that framed the walls and roof. Two marble statues of ice maidens stood at either side of the door. Sapphires were set from their eyes down to their hands, like tear gems were cascading down their faces. Hiei rolled his eyes, he would never understand why the ice maidens insisted on being such a miserable bunch.

Yukina lead them inside to the main room. An elder sat in the middle of the room, sitting calmly while younger ice maidens served her. Their was no furniture in the room, simple bamboo mats were laid out on the floor for sitting while silver kettles were hung over small blue fires for tea. All was calm until the younger ice maiden's noticed the new arrivals and rushed out of the room through two side doors. The elder stayed calm, simply sipping her tea before gesturing for the others to sit down in front of her. Once they did the elder took another drink of tea before setting the cup down on the floor in front of her.

"So then Yukina you have finally returned?" The old woman rasped with contempt.

"Yes," Yukina hissed, having no desire to continue the conversation for much longer. "I have found my brother as well as friends, I will be returning to my home and they are welcome to stay as long as they like."

The elder glared down at Yukina before nodding her head, shocking all of them.

"Normally men would not even be allowed to set foot into our village but I will make an exception this time, but there is a condition. One of the beasts from the mountain has found its way onto our island, have your…_friends _get rid of it and they may stay."

There was a long silence, suspicion hung heavy in the air.

"We except." Hiei broke in, surprising everyone. "Just tell me where the creature is and I'll dispose of it."

The old woman frowned in distaste before giving the directions to one of the many small lakes on the edge of the Ice Maiden's island. As soon as the she had finished speaking Hiei took off, leaving the rest of the gang far behind him.

As a child Hiei often found himself immersed in the heat of battle. The rush of adrenaline and blood running through his veins as he slashed through an enemy, in those moments he would think of nothing else but defeating his opponent. He had been craving a moment such as that; where he could simply clear his mind of any worries.

The lake sat in the middle of steeply sloping hillsides. Its surface had frozen over, shining silver in the evening light. The fire demon scanned his eyes across the landscape; all he saw was a barren wasteland of snow. Cold wind blew through the hills, stirring the snow into the air until a blizzard was swirling around the lake. A sudden chill ran down Hiei's spine, he could sense another demon's energy manipulating the wind and snow, but with the blizzard he could barely see two meters from where he was standing. A high pitched growl echoed its way through the howling wind and Hiei took his stance. The clean hiss from Hiei unsheathing his sword answered the growl and the fire demon smirked in anticipation. Then he saw it, a large spider demon, it's blade like legs slicing through the snow banks as it ran towards him. It was rare for arachnids to make their way into winter climate; only the venomous ones could survive for long. Hiei frowned but didn't let his stance falter. That is, he didn't falter until he saw the young ice maiden child trapped in the spider's web, wrapped around the spider's left horn. She didn't look a day over seven.

Swiftly Hiei charged at the beast, it's shriek ringing out loudly as he slashed one of it's ankles. Unfortunately the small demon was caught off guard as the spider swung one of it's bladed legs into the back of his head. Hiei sailed through the air before crashing into a snow bank. The spider chased after the fallen demon and he growled at the eight legged demons speed. He spat out the blood from his split lip before standing. Then he froze, his sword was missing from his hand. A glint of silver caught his attention and he looked to see his blade lying in the snow some distance away. Just as the spider snapped its jaws at him, Hiei dove to the side, catching the handle of his sword just before his feet touched the snowy ground. The spider was right behind him, slashing with its bladed legs. He avoided most of the swipes but many cut through his skins. Blood ran down his face from a cut under his eye as he glared up at the arachnid.

The ice maiden was unconscious and by the greenish pallor of her skin Hiei knew the child had been poisoned. If he didn't act quickly, she would die. Just as the spider was about to make another swipe Hiei threw his blade towards its head. It skimmed the creatures face before slicing through the webbing on its horns. Hiei caught the ice maiden just as deafening wail left the spider, thick black inky blood oozed from its open wounds. He hid behind a large chunk of ice before taking off his cloak and wrapping it around the child. Under usual conditions Ice Maidens thrived in the cold but once poisoned they needed to keep their body temperature steady. Hiei only hoped that the others arrived soon.

Another howl left the spider's throat and Hiei growled. His power hadn't fully recovered from his heat making it next to impossible to kill such a creature. Still, he had to try. As soon as he leaped out from behind the ice he looked for his sword. It lay beneath the spider demons feet. A frustrated sigh left Hiei's lips, he would have only one chance, and even then that chance was slim. He dove towards his blade just as he heard the voices of his approaching comrades. The spider shrieked with rage and trampled the ground, trying to trample the small demon. A terrible scream left him as one of the spiders legs pierced through his side. Blood spilled from the wound and Hiei was barely able to hold the sword in his hands. He rolled onto his back, just as the others came into view.

Hiei could see each of their faces. Yusuke and Kurama's faces were both frozen in shock; Yukina was crying again, fearing the worst; and lastly Hiei's eyes fell on Kuwabara. Hiei wished that he could have seen the human's gentle smile, instead of a face full of fear. It was then that he turned away from them and gripped the blade tightly before plunging it deep into the spider's abdomen. It gave one last howl of pain before it collapsed onto the ground, with Hiei trapped underneath its corpse.

**A/N:**** No it wasn't a happy chapter, and some things were rushed through but I wanted to get to the main plot of the story, though the next chapter may slow down a bit depending on where the story takes it to. To be honest I'm feeling really down right now since my family's dog passed on just two days ago and I haven't been able to sleep.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: ****Chapters longer than the last one, hope you enjoy.**

Pain, that's what Hiei felt. A pain that seemed to rise and fall with every breath he took. He tried to focus on the other sensations he felt. A heavy blanket rested on top of him while he rested on crisp and clean sheets. It had been so long since he had a real bed that he almost forgot the feeling of it. Carefully he opened his eyes, first noticing that bandages were wrapped around most of his body, and then noticing that he was alone in a small plain room. He could hear two people talking in the other room but the walls prevented him from making out what they were saying. The demon crept out of bed, wincing slightly as his bruised and battered body complained from his movement but managed to open the bedroom door just enough so that he could peak out. Kuwabara was sitting beside Yukina, gently rubbing circles on the ice maidens back as she cried.

"I-I just don't know what to do Kazuma…" She said meekly as more of her tear gems fell into her over flowing palms. "For the longest time, all I wanted to do was meet my brother. Now I find out that he's been hiding from me… what did I do to make him hate me so?"

Hiei watched as Kuwabara sighed and stared up at the ceiling, as if it would give him some answer to what he should do next.

"I, wouldn't say he hates you…" The human spoke carefully, knowing that one wrong word could be damaging. "Hiei's… different ya know? And well, he doesn't think highly of himself… at least when it concerns you. What I mean is, you two are complete opposites; you grew up to be healer… and he grew as a fighter, a killer. A part of him might have wanted to tell you but didn't know how you would react… at least when he kept quiet about it he could still stay close and try to protect you if he had to."

"Are you sure?"

"The only thing I'm really sure of Yukina is that he wouldn't be ashamed to have you as a sister."

The ice maiden then smiled and let her gems fall to the floor as she wiped away the few remaining tears from her eyes.

"If you're sure… then I believe you." She then took Kuwabara's hand in her own. "Kazuma when you ended things so suddenly… well I thought you didn't care for me anymore but if you do, maybe we could-"She stopped as Kuwabara took his hand away from hers.

"I'm sorry Yukina, I do care about you but… it's not like that anymore."

Tears returned the ice maidens eyes and she hastily stood.

"I-I'm going to check on Kurama's progress."

She then left; Kuwabara could only sigh sadly before crouching down on the floor to gather up the forgotten tear gems. A rush of air left Hiei's lips as he emptied his lungs of the breath he didn't know he had been holding. His sister had believed that he was ashamed of her… until Kazuma had remedied those thoughts. The door was silent as Hiei slipped out of the room and joined Kuwabara on the floor, meticulously picking up tear gems.

"You should be in bed, sleeping off your injuries." The human said without lifting his eyes to look at the demon.

"I couldn't sleep, people were talking."

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know I hurt her…"

A long silence stretched between them until Kuwabara rested a hand on Hiei's shoulder and pulled the demon just a little closer. A shiver ran down Hiei's spine but he knew he couldn't allow himself to be comforted, not yet at least. Instead he took Kuwabara's hand off his shoulder and held it firmly.

"Kazuma…" He struggled to keep his voice steady. "About the night before. I hadn't meant for it to be a one time deal… If anything I had meant for it to be the start of something more, much more." He stood up suddenly, intent on leaving before he saw any negative reaction. "I'll leave you to think of what I said."

Hiei then turned away, only for Kuwabara to grab his arm mid step and pull the demon back into his arms. Tear gems scattered as they were dropped. In shock Hiei could only stare up at the human, whose lip trembled slightly as he glared.

"Bastard! You don't just leave after saying something like that!" The demon didn't answer; instead he just looked down in shame. "Hiei… I… didn't want it to be a one time thing either. I just… didn't think… I'd be worth your time."

A tear fell on Hiei's cheek and his own eyes began to water. He could tell that Kuwabara was struggling not to cry but that the emotions swirling through him were too raw.

"You have… always, been worth my time, Kazuma"

It was then, when he found he could finally move, that he pulled Kuwabara's face down to his and tenderly pressed his lips to the others. Without hesitation the human pulled him closer, melding their bodies together as he grasped the fire demons midnight black hair. Kuwabara opened his lips tentatively, allowing Hiei to slip his tongue inside and explore. The demon moaned, eagerly coaxing the others tongue into play as he reached for the zipper on Kuwabara's jacket. The blue fabric slipped easily off of the humans shoulders. Kuwabara paused before pulling away, leaving both of them to gasp for breath.

"Did… did you mean what you said?" Kuwabara stuttered out breathlessly.

"Every word of it."

"But before… back when Urameshi was still a spirit detective, I thought you hated me."

Regret welled up inside the demon as he sighed.

"When I first met you… well my previous encounters with humans had been less than pleasant and I had expected much the same from you. But you had your honour, your courage and… your heart. You laid them all out on display and for that I called you a fool… and yet at the same time I was intrigued. Every time I prodded and mocked, you always defended yourself with vigour. But in the end you would never hide yourself from me or anyone. Before the dark tournament begun I realized that it had been me that was the fool… because while I hid my true self from others you were able to act freely, and I envied you for it. I suppose you could go as far as to say that I admired you for your courage, and that admiration quickly grew to affection." There was a long pause before either of them spoke.

"Hi-Hiei… why didn't you tell me sooner?" Kuwabara asked as he grasped both side of Hiei's face gently.

The demon rested his hands on top of the humans, feeling their warmth press into his skin.

"I was a coward… I didn't want to face rejection so I chose to remain silent." Another long pause stretched between them.

"That's too bad…" Hiei gave the human a questioning look.

"And why is that?"

"I always thought you were kinda cute." Both of them smiled before pecking each other on the lips.

A sudden pain made Hiei wince and Kuwabara cringed.

"I take it that you're still pretty banged up?"

"…Yes."

"Well then," Kuwabara stood, holding Hiei tightly against him. "Let's get you over to the bath house."

Hiei didn't complain about being carried out the door, it was nice to be held in the humans embrace, he only wished that the older ice maidens hadn't been there as they walked by. Many of them glared at him while whispering disdainful things to each other. It reminded Hiei of living with the bandits after he had first began killing his assailants. He couldn't help but sneer back at the ice maiden's scorn. They only hated him for his birth, if they had heard of things he had done, they would be running out of sight.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw something move but when he turned to look it ducked out of sight. He frowned before slightly closing his eyes, leaving them open enough for him to still see but closed enough to look shut.

"We are being followed." The demon said low enough for only him and the human to hear.

"Yeah it's probably just your fan club."

"Fan club?"

"Yep! You've been asleep for two days-"

"Which you failed to mention until now."

"Oh… sorry."

"No matter, continue on about this… fan club."

"Well there's not many kids around here so all of them know each other. The one you saved is named Miyu, she's only four years old and the second youngest one in the village. Once she went missing the girls had gone to the elder but she said there was nothing they could do. Apparently she says that a lot," anger briefly flared in Kuwabara's eyes. "The girls were planning to go out and search for her themselves before we showed up and you rescued her. Miyu's back to normal with only being a little woozy from the spiders poison and all of them think you're a hero!" He then laughed and Hiei rolled his eyes.

"And what do the older ice maidens think of this?"

"They don't know about it. One of the weird things about this place is that the children and adults don't interact that much, not until they're thirteen when they get assigned different jobs around the village. They don't even get to take care of their own babies, they have to hand them over to the nurse maids who give them feeding bottles before handing the babies over to the kids to look after them."

"You seem to know a lot about the children around here."

"Yeah, Yukina introduced me to them before her, Urameshi, and Kurama went to the elders. They're trying to set up a new trading post for the ice maiden's in Urameshi's territory since trading on Yenen mountain often leads to demons sneaking in but the Elders don't want t' hear it."

"Not surprising, they cling to their traditions worse than you humans do."

"Ha ha very funny, they're almost as clingy as you when you're in heat."

A deep blush coated Hiei's face and he nipped at the human's ear.

"Ack, Hiei play nice!"

"Oh come now Kazuma you know that I never play nice." The demon purred before nipping and sucking at the human's neck.

"Ngh." Was all Kuwabara managed to say before rushing to the bath house.

The bath house was built simply, looking much like a large cabin. Kuwabara slipped inside and grabbed one of the many keys on the wall before finding the keys number marked on one of the doors. As soon as he unlocked the door and shut it behind him he slid down to his knees, panting desperately marked his neck with a bite.

"Hi-Hiei stop… we can't do that here."

"Why the hell not?" The demon almost snarled.

"Someone might hear us and… you're still injured, I don't want you to get anymore hurt."

Hiei growled but loosened his hold on the human. Kuwabara said a small 'sorry' before turning away to run Hiei's bath. The tub filled most of the room and was built into the floor. The human pulled one of the many ropes hanging from the opposite wall and instantly steaming hot water flowed from a bamboo pipe hanging over the tub. Steam filled the room with the light scent of orchid stirring with it. Hiei sighed in contentment and began to undress himself, folding his clothes neatly as he did so. Kuwabara pulled another a rope and thick froth poured on top of the warm water. He then walked over to the demon, lifting him up before lowering him down into the water.

A shiver shook through Hiei as he sunk into the water, the soapy froth making his skin tingle. Kuwabara discarded his jacket before rolling up his pant legs and sitting behind Hiei, letting his legs settle into the water. He began massaging the small demon's shoulders, relieving some of the tension from the sore muscles. A slow rumbling purr left Hiei and Kuwabara smiled. He could sense the demon's unrest when they had passed the ice maiden's, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pride as his gentle touch allowed Hiei to relax. Slowly he pulled the little demon closer before kissing his temple and continuing his slow massage.

"You're quiet affectionate." Kuwabara froze at the comment.

"Is- is that bad?" He stuttered while slowly pulling away.

A sharp tug on his wrist pulled him back against the demon as well as almost causing him to fall into the water.

"Kazuma… your affections will always be welcome."

The human blushed and nuzzled into the fire demon soft hair. Kuwabara had always admired that hair, the dark gravity defying locks reminded him of the night sky. Instinctually he inhaled, and the scent of a spring time rain greeted him. He let a small smile grace his as he grabbed a picture of clean water to wash the demons hair with.

"If the living here is so terrible, why don't they just leave?" Kuwabara paused at Hiei's sudden question before he continued to wash his hair.

"They don't really have a choice; whenever an ice maiden is born the elder takes a vial of her blood and stores it away in their temple. If they miss behave the elder uses their blood to punish them."

Hiei tensed, wondering if that was how his mother's life was ended. He knew of blood curses, it was a rare but effective practice. With a small amount of blood the caster could have complete control over a person's body and mind. It was easy to achieve the most painful of tortures or the most frightening of illusions with such a curse. The only thing the curse could not achieve was to kill but that only served to add to the horror of the for it meant there would be no end brought by it. The curse itself had been created a millennia ago and used to drive its captives mad before they ended their own lives. But in the case of the ice maidens, the curse could weaken them until they dissolved into the sunlight.

"Hiei?" The human asked at the demons sudden tenseness. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" He said finally. "I was just thinking…"

"Is it anything you want to talk about?"

"Not at this time, no, we may speak of it later."

"Okay." Was all Kuwabara said before kissing Hiei's temple.

Instantly the demon felt himself relax and a grateful smile crossed his lips. Kuwabara quickly finished washing his hair before grabbing a large towel. Hiei pulled himself from the water only to be wrapped entirely in the towels fluffy fabric. A small blush dusted his cheeks as Kuwabara dried him off.

"Kazuma I _am _capable of taking care of myself."

"I know, I just like doing things for you." He replied with a smile that made Hiei blush even more.

Soon Hiei was dressed and the both of them had left the bath house. The scurry of footsteps met his ears and Hiei abruptly stopped walking, almost making Kuwabara trip over him. The demon then turned, glaring venomously towards the scurrying footsteps that slowed to a frightened crawl. Slowly a group of young girls walked towards them nervously. Hiei was struck by how young each of them were, the oldest still being only half his size. A small cry caught his attention and he turned to see a crying infant in one of the young girl's arms.

"Aya bring her here." Kuwabara said gently while kneeling down and holding his arms out towards her.

Hiei watched as the girl quickly scampered towards the human and handed over the baby before hugging him around the middle. Almost instantly the baby ceased it's wailing and curled into Kuwabara as he held her against his chest. He then used one arm to return the young ice maidens embrace. The others soon rushed towards him, chattering happily with the human who listened to each of them kindly. Hiei stood aside them, feeling awkward at the sudden crowds presence.

"Hiei do want to hold little Manami?"

The demon eyes went wide with shock as Kuwabara carefully placed the small infant in his arms while showing him how to hold her properly. The baby looked up at Hiei in curiosity and the demon was afraid she would start crying. Instead she cooed and laughed while making a swipe for his hair. He couldn't help but smile as she laid her head down against his scarf, clutching the fabric in one of her small hands.

"Aw Hiei she likes you!" Kuwabara cheered while lightly brushing his fingers through the demon's hair.

"Kuwa-san, Manami likes everyone." One of the ice maiden children chimed in before giggling.

"-san," The demon looked down at the small ice maiden who held up of assorted baked goods and recognized her as the girl he had rescued, Miyu, but now that her normal complexion had returned he was struck by how similar she looked to Yukina. "W-would you like to try some? I made them for you…"

He grabbed one of the treats that looked like a chocolate chip cookie and popped it in his mouth. The slight hint of coconut in the cookie was pleasant surprise as it mingled with the chocolate and he took another from the girl's basket.

"D-do they taste okay?" Hiei swallowed.

"Yes they taste… quiet good."

A smile brightened the girls face and she hugged Hiei tightly. The demon flinched but didn't let it show. Instead he placed a hand gently on the child's back in an embrace, like he'd seen Kuwabara do many times before. Soon the other ice maiden children were crowding him as well, asking many questions too fast for him to answer.

"Why's that bandage on your forehead?"

"It's for my Jagan-"

"What's a Jagan?"

"Do you have a Jagan on your arm to?"

"No the Jagan is-"

"Then what is on your arm?"

"Is it an owie?"

"Whoa guys give him time to breath." Kuwabara broke in with a laugh and Hiei sighed with relief.

"We're sorry mister Hiei." They all said in unison which Hiei returned with a nod.

"On my forehead is my Jagan eye, on my right arm is the dragon of the darkness flame, both are formidable."

"Can we see?"

"What part of 'formidable' did you not understand?"

"Aw come on Hiei you can show the kids your third eye." The demon rolled his eyes but pulled the bandage away from his Jagan.

He felt the Jagan open wide as well a sense its surprise at seeing the young ice maidens surrounding him. Hiei then let it sift through his memories for a moment to decipher his situation. In the back of his mind, he could tell that the Jagan was grinning from all the attention. But then it's focus switched to something approaching to the right. Hiei turned and his face instantly hardened at the rapidly approaching cloud of green smoke. Several threatening demon auras hid inside the cloud that now covered half of the ice maiden's village.

"Kazuma, take the children and hide. I'm going to investigate that cloud." He said while handing the baby over to Kuwabara.

"Alright, just be careful alright?" Was all he said before giving Hiei a quick kiss on the lips and whisking the children away.

The fire demon blushed brightly before shaking his head, turning around, and charging towards the ominous smoke with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

**A/N: ****They deserved some fluffy moments, right? And about Miyu, her resemblance to Yukina will be explained later…**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:**** This has been sitting on my computer for awhile now because it's short and I was going to add more but I think that the ending is fine the way it is. And I already started the next chapter and didn't feel like back tracking. Anyways, updates are going to be slow because I'm in a employment program that gives me full college level courses that are all compressed into a week or less so I have a very big work load right now, meaning updates shall be slim but I promise to try. The good news is that I'm at the top of anyone else in the program because of my top grades :)**

Hiei pulled his scarf up over his mouth and nose, the green smoke stung his throat and he could feel some of his body go numb from inhaling the vapour. The ice maiden's village was in chaos, the women ran around in panic as low level demons chased them for sport. He stomped on an imp as it attempted to scurry by.

"Do not waste you time with those weaklings fire brat!"

Hiei turned to the hissing voice and was greeted by the sight of a tall but too skinny demon. Its features appeared human except for its magenta eyes, the pale grey scales that covered it's body, and the fact that it had two extra pairs of arms. In each of its hands was a long thin blade, slightly curved inwards like a hook. He had heard of such demon but he couldn't remember where from.

Without warning the snake like demon appeared in front of him, Hiei was barely able to draw his sword in time to block the first swipe of its blades. The creature continued slash at him but to no avail, Hiei was able to block each slash easily until an injury twitched in his side and caused him to falter and allowed the other demon to slice his cheek. He used a flash of fire to force the snake like demon back before he charged at it, striking his sword across its chest and leaping back to dodge the other demons attack. Blood sprayed across the snowy ground, staining the pure white a crimson red.

"Is that the best you can do Hiei?" It hissed.

Hiei watched as the wound he had just made began to close and the flesh stitched itself back together until it was completely healed. He didn't let his surprise show, instead the fire demon growled and charged again. The demon blocked his first attack before slashing for Hiei's neck and arms. With a little difficulty he was able to dodge but had to leap back in retreat.

It was then that he remembered where he heard of such a demon. He had once read of such a demon in a book he had found in Mukuro's fortress. Lizards with lightening like agility, their blood was both acidic and poisonous. The species had once been extremely feared until a viral disease had nearly wiped all of them out.

"I know what you are… Geriko." Hiei said with a grin that the Lizard demon returned before laughing.

"So my species reputation does have its echo!" It said gleefully, Hiei honestly could not indentify its gender.

It was the lizards turn to charge at him but this time Hiei was ready. At the last moment he summoned his fire, letting it engulf his blade before he sliced of the lizard demons two lower left arms. The other demon screamed in horror and pain.

"My arms! You bastard brat!" Hiei ignored its wailing and instead tried to wipe the blood from his blade before the metal dissolved. "I'll kill you for that!"

Hiei barely managed to raise his sword before the demon was in front of him, but that was all it took for his blade to be buried deep into the lizards chest. A hiss escaped it's mouth before it fell back. Hiei let go of the hilt of his sword, it's blade melting away in the other demons blood, rendered useless. He was startled when a rasping laugh came from the lizard demon.

"You may have killed me little demon," a rattling cough shook through it. "But don't dare to think that you or your little human toy are safe." Then, the Geriko died.

The drumming of his own heart beat was all Hiei could hear as terror rushed through his veins. He left the dead demon lying in the snow while he rushed through the rest of village, desperately searching for any sign of Kuwabara or the ice maiden children.

Fire incinerated the weaker imps that tried to attack the enraged demon as he darted across the snowy village. A bitterly cold wind blew over the already frostbitten landscape, Hiei knew it would be impossible to catch anyone scent in such frigid wind. He searched everywhere in the village, including all the cabins that hadn't been destroyed in the chaos caused by the green smoke or the attacking demons, but all were empty. Without hesitating he searched the rest of the Ice Maidens island before finally finding a faint trail in the far hillside. There he found small cave hidden in between two boulders, the snow in front of it had been tossed around into heaps, showing obvious signs of a battle happening not long ago. He formed a small ball of fire in his hand before entering the cave, letting its glow illuminate the pale rock. Huddled in the corner were the ice maidens, clutching each other desperately with eyes clenched shut in fear.

"Children…?" Hiei called them gently.

A second past where they all slowly opened their eyes before rushing towards him frantically for protection. They clustered in close, wailing incoherently for his help. Hiei did his best to comfort them, all the while counting there numbers. That's when he froze.

"Chi-Children… where is Kazuma?"

Yusuke clenched his teeth and glared at the unfortunate bitch that was about to meet his spirit gun. The only thing that kept him from firing was Kurama's hand gripping his shoulder.

"Give me one good reason… not to blow your head off right now!"

The Ice Maiden's elder simply laughed.

"Simple threats do not faze me _child_."

Kurama stepped forward, his demeanour held the aura of a calm and collected human being, but his eyes held the viciousness of a wild animal. Yusuke stepped aside to let the fox by, feeling his friends demon energy crackle in the air.

"Your name is Yuina, am I correct?" Kurama asked and the old woman frowned.

"What has my name-" She started but the fox cut her words off sharply.

"Answer my question or I'll kill you myself." His green eyes flashed gold and Yusuke tensed.

"_Fine_! You are correct my name is Yuina."

"The very same Yuina that abandoned her own children three hundred years ago so that they could die at the hands of those you fled?"

The Ice maiden glared, knowing she had been caught.

"What you know makes no difference to me! They chose to wander from the island and they paid the price for it! And so will that little wretch you brought back! Same with that human ogre! They're both gone thanks to Chourin!"

With a flick of his wrist, Kurama sliced off the ice maiden's head, blood glistening on the thorns of his rose whip. He then turned to Yusuke, whose Mazoku markings were prominent and glowing with his energy.

"Yusuke, do you remember before when I mentioned the slavers that gather around Mount Yenen? They specialize in trafficking humans and rare demons, such as ice maidens for profit. We need to find Kuwabara and Yukina _now._"

Both boys turned just before the Temple doors burst in wards, and a furious Hiei stepped forward, the young ice maiden's following behind him.

"Kuwabara is missing, according to the children it only happened a few minutes ago if we leave now we can still follow…" His voice trialed off as the rose whip slipped from Kurama's grasp.

"Hiei… was there anything else they took?"

"An ice maiden named Miyu…"

The fox fell to his knees and shook his head disbelief. A wave of despair flooded through Hiei as he watched the sadness in Kurama's eyes.

"Hiei, the elder of the ice maiden's, she betrayed all of us. While working with Yomi I learned that many joined his forces out of fear of being captured by another demon, that demon was Chourin. If Kuwabara was captured… I fear there is little we can do."

"What the hell fox boy!" Yusuke screamed. "We can't just give up and go home damn it!"

"I admire your enthusiasm Yusuke but Chourin doesn't sell humans as slaves, they are sold as food."

It hit them like a punch to the gut, leaving a cold and empty numbness to settle in. The girls cried loudly but Hiei stayed silent, unable to bring himself to comfort them when he himself felt so lost. All he could think about was how he told the human to take the children and hide. He should have known something would happen. Now Kazuma was gone.

"D-damn it." Yusuke swore while staring down at his clenched fists. "Let's just… get the damn kid from those bastards." Kurama sighed.

"Before charge off we need to help this village recover."

The others nodded solemnly.

**A/N:**** Hope you liked it, even though it leaves many questions unanswered.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N****: Updating because it's 6 days from my birthday, that and I'm recently getting over a serious chest infection and have an X ray to attend.**

"Wake up human!"

Kuwabara cringed at the booming voice and opened his eyes only to discover he had been blindfolded, his wrists bound above his head and his clothes were missing from his body.

"Now listen closely human, you do everything we say or the little bitches that came here with you will get it."

For a moment, his heart stopped, just as his breath stuttered to a stop. Quickly he reached out with his energy, sensing the children three rooms away before the bindings around his wrists shocked him. He felt himself scream, more than he heard it. A whip then struck him across the chest.

"First Lesson! If you try to call your buddies up with your spirit energy and the bindings around your wrist will shock ya with it!" The demon snarled and cracked the whip against the defenceless human a second time. "Second Lesson! You try and escape here and we'll kill ya. Live human pets fetch a better price but I'm bettin' that a few demons wouldn't mind snacking on your young hide." Another crack of the whip and Kuwabara felt blood run down from his new wounds before another demons voice spoke.

"Consider yourself lucky that we decided to train you into being a good pet. Until you're bought, I want you to be a good little pet and do everything we say, then the little kiddies won't get hurt, understand?"

Kuwabara nodded. He would agree to obey, only to protect the children, and stall for time until his team found him.

"Good, then let's have a little fun with our new 'pet'."

_**1314**_

Two children were missing from the ice village, thirteen remained, but all Hiei could focus on was that one human, Kuwabara, had been taken away from him. He had left Kurama and Yusuke to survey the damages to the village, lacking the patience for such a dull activity. Instead he sat atop a snow bank that was perched on the edge of the ice maiden's floating island, going over the last few moments in his head to try and form a reasonable strategy. Most of them involved using his Jagan to locate Kuwabara but that quickly fell apart as it became apparent that his Jagan was still too low on energy to be of any use to him. Below him the vast landscape was shrouded with fog while a light snowfall fell from above.

"Hiei..."

The fire demon turned towards the voice of his soft spoken sister, only to see another ice-maiden he knew all too well.

"Rie, just what the hell do you want?" The older ice maiden flinched, cowering at his words.

"To... to repay a long owed dept." Hiei out right laughed.

"And how exactly to you plan to redeem yourself for tossing a child off the very edge we stand in front of now?"

He wasn't surprised when she started crying, he even faintly wondered how an ice maidens tear gems could be rare if ice maidens were so prone to crying. The only thing that did surprise him was that Rie cried silently, not uttering a single noise while the tear gems fell.

"I know how you can track down those who stole the children, as well as your companion." Hiei stood, a smouldering glare fixed upon the ice maidens face.

"Speak any lies at this moment and it will cost you your life."

"I assure you Imiko, I give my word that I will not lie."

"Your word means nothing to me!"

"Even so, you will want to hear what I have to say."

Hiei's glare intensified. This woman, the one who tossed him from the Ice Maidens island, was really expecting him to listen to her? The woman who had ignored his mothers cries, an action that later caused her death.

"Leave before I separate your head from your shoul-"

"Hina sent me a letter three days before your arrival on this Island." The fire apparition could only stare and wait for her to continue. "The message warned me that the elder was in league with a demon named Chourin. I did not believe it was real, not until her warning came true."

"I'm not to keen on believing you either."

"Then at least read this."

Hiei took the letter from her outstretched hand. Instantly he could feel his Mother's presence, the same presence that emanated from the tear gems that hung around his neck. He read the small letter quickly, confirming what Rie had told him earlier.

"How is this letter supposed to help me?"

"If Hina knew that the elder was in league with Chourin, there's a chance that she would know how to find her. The letter was sent to me from the western mountains. "

"Fine." Was all he said before folding the note and hiding it within his cloak.

"Where are you going?"

"To fix the mess I made."

The ice maiden did not follow as he left; she had done all she could.

In an instant Hiei found himself standing in front of Yusuke and Kurama inside the ice maiden temple, explaining what he had just been told by Rie.

"So you will be traveling to the western mountains, to find where this 'Chourin' has taken Kuwabara?" Kurama replied with a thoughtful expression.

"Yes."

"Alright, while you go there," Yusuke interjected "Fox boy and I are going back to my territory to get what information we can from Raizen's archives, try to figure out exactly who Chourin is and how much it's going to take to kick their ass."

"You should meet us there Hiei as our task will likely take longer than your own."

"Agreed."

The fox and Mazoku then to their leave to the south western plains while Hiei left the temple a little later, taking care to find several suitable blades to hide in his cloak. He made it half way down Yenen mountain before he heard someone calling his name. The gentle yet almost panicked voice made him turn with irritation. His irritation soon turned to surprise as he saw Yukina racing towards him.

"Hiei, stop! I'm coming with you!"

"No you are no-" He was cut off by the positively frigid look that Yukina gave him, and the fact that she held up Rie's letter in her hand.

"I'm coming with you Hiei she… Hina was my mother as well… and Kazuma was my best friend; I need to make sure he's okay."

"I cannot guarantee your safety." He warned.

"You're not the only one that had to fend for themselves as a child Hiei."

The silence hung heavy in the air before the fire demon sighed. He hated how much tension was hanging in the air between them. Tension that he could only blame himself for. It had been so much simpler when she had been ignorant of their blood relation.

"I'm not keen on leaving you at ice village… you may come with me." He said carefully and she smiled. "But at the first sign of trouble you run."

She didn't answer him, but still kept smiling and began to walk with him, side by side, both determined to save the person closest to their hearts.

**A/N:**** I have to confess that I never really liked how Yukina was portrayed in the anime or manga because she had the potential to be a total badass and that potential was never met. So I'm trying to give her a slightly stronger role without damaging her canon character. As long as she doesn't look weak I'm good.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Chapter.11 is finally here! Happy New Year everyone!**

The icy wind had turned into a full blizzard as Hiei walked. Sharp flakes of ice stung his skin as the wind threw them against him. He had expected to at least inherit a little of his mother's resistance to the cold, but sadly that was not the case. All he had inherited from his mother were the tear gems around his neck, the ability to cry his own, and the pure white scarf that had once been his swaddling cloth. But the fire demon would not complain, he simply walked forward with his sister following close behind.

They had walked a full week now and had only just reached the mountainous hillside. The weather had forced them to travel through a canyon like crevice between two icy slopes. Hiei didn't like this; the wind had only picked up when the crevice had come into view. Something crunched behind him and he whipped his head around, squinting in an attempt to see through the snow filled air.

"What's wrong?" Yukina asked, unable to keep the nervousness from quavering her voice.

"We're being followed."

The wind suddenly ceased, sharp flakes of ice settling to the ground as the tension rose. Seconds ticked by slowly before Hiei felt it. A flash of rising demon aura from an above ledge. Yukina fell forward, unconscious as he caught her. The fire demon ducked as a ball of red fire flew past him. He barely had time to blink before the other demon descended upon him. A strong hand wrapped around his throat, pinning him to the wall, his feet dangling a foot off the ground. The other demon was much taller then him, taller than Kuwabara even. With black leather armour, a red cloak hanging from his shoulders, his face hidden in shadow, and a fireball held in his other hand. Hiei growled a small threat that said if he wasn't put down, bad things would happen. However he cut his growl short as the demons flames flickering grew brighter, revealing that the other demon had hair identical to Hiei's own.

…1314…

Yusuke yawned; all the political talk was boring. They were locked in a room at the top of Toushin tower, Kurama trying to convince To-oh, Saitai, and Hokoshin to help rescue their friend. But the Toushins had refused after the mere mention of Chourin's name.

"To take such a risk for a human is absolutely ludicrous!" Hokoshin hollered before slamming his fist against the table top.

"It just so happens that this particular human has risked his life countless times for demon kind." Kurama answered sternly, giving the rough looking Toushin a stern look that would chill even the hottest tempered demon's blood to ice. Hokoshin simply cleared his throat and sat backwards, a thin blush of embarrassment painting his cheeks. "Let us not forget, "Kurama added. "That Yusuke here was once human."

"Yeah!" Yusuke barked. "Kuwabara risked his ass plenty of times for people like you so give him some freaking credit. I'm not asking you to blindly save some sorry asses life, I'm asking you to help save my best friend here, because whether you like it or not I _am_ going, and I _will_ bring him back alive."

"B-but sir! You are the last of the Mazoku breed; if you're lost the Toushin's will be lost."

Yusuke rolled his eyes and muttered 'I don't care'. He didn't understand how Toushin's and Mazoku's were tied together in the first place, or why they wouldn't get off their asses to help their 'King's' best friend. An awkward silence ticked by before Kurama cleared his throat.

"Yusuke, you may not realize this but the Toushin life lines are tied directly to the Mazoku bloodline, when the blood line runs out… the life line runs out."

The Mazoku King frowned; he had not been expecting that. Sure he had expected something serious but nothing so… dire.

"If there was one thing I learned from Raizen it's that Mazoku life is too freaking long to be enjoyable so I just…" He sighed. "Look I want some good memories before I lose my chance so I'm going to rescue my friend, and fuck you guys for not helping."

And with that said Yusuke left the room.

"Well…" Kurama said as everyone stared at the closed door. "I suppose I'll contact Mukuro's now and see if she's willing to help with the situation."

…1314…

Hiei slid to the ground, his legs barely holding him up as the older demon stepped away. He took all the taller man's features, the tan skin, the midnight black hair with the white star burst white bangs resting over his forehead, even the shape of their eyes and face were the same. Though there were some differences, his eyes were a dark gold, his stature much taller, and a pair of ebony black cat ears was perched atop his head.

"Your name wouldn't happen to be Imiko, would it?" The other demon asked.

"I haven't gone by that name for years, what meaning does it hold for you?"

"It… if you follow me I will tell you."

Hiei rolled his eyes but made no comment, choosing to follow the other demon for the sake of curiosity and the fact that he had been traveling in that direction anyways. Before following he gingerly picked up Yukina in his arms and carried her. They travelled deeper into the mountain-scape where the wind died down and the air was nothing but a gentle breeze. Before long a barrier appeared in front of them, its dome shape large, covering miles of land and hiding what was within with a shimmering fog with it's almost crystalline surface. Its surface crackling with electricity and glowing luminescent orange. The other demon dragged a claw down the glass like barrier in front of him. Instantly it shimmered and the barrier melted in front of him, reforming into an arched doorway.

"After you." The demon said while gesturing his arm towards the doorway.

"Hn." Was Hiei's only reply before walking ahead.

Dimly he realized that he hadn't caught the other demon's name, just as he felt a cold prick to his neck and he fell into unconsciousness.

…1314…

Kurama stared at Mukuro's shimmering image, a hologram made with demon energy, the easiest form of instant communication. The fox sat in a simple arm chair in a small dark room, a full glass of red wine clutched lightly in his hand. The only light in the room was from the flickering hologram of the demon lord in front of him.

"Drinking? Its quiet unbecoming of a Yoko, what brings you to this Kurama?"

He took a sip from the goblet, letting the bitter sweet flavour mull over his tongue before speaking.

"Our friend Kuwabara has been taken by the slaver known as Chourin, currently the Toushin's have refused to help with the rescue but Yusuke is attempting to remedy that."

"I can assume that his negotiating skills leave much to be desired if you need to call upon me then."

"You have assumed correctly."

"And where is Hiei during this time? I haven't heard a word from him since your group's departure."

"He has gone to seek for more assistance with the rescue?"

For a moment surprise flickered through her eye before a knowing smile covered her full lips.

"Is Kuwabara not the human that Hiei always complains about?"

Kurama chuckled.

"Yes, the very same."

"Hm, I will have someone locate this Chourin, contact me again for when we put this rescue into motion."

"Of course."

The holograph then faded, and Kurama was left to the wine and the shadows of the room.

…1314…

When Hiei woke he did not open his eyes, instead he focused on keeping his breath even paced so that his no one would be alerted of his consciousness. The air around him was surprisingly warm and he could feel a warm blanket draped over him.

"How could you be so rash with him Katsuya?" A women's voice spoke harshly.

"I panicked, he had no reason to trust me so what stopped him from taking off after he saw the pack?" The demon from before.

A cold hand trailed across his chin before brushing through his hair.

"He looks just like you…" The woman whispered softly.

"Except for his eyes."

"How do you mean?"

"His eyes are yours."

The hand stopped, shaky in its place.

"What if it's been to long Katsuya? H-he's grown now he won't-"

"Shhh it will be fine."

Then a weight dropped on top of him and he struggled to keep still as the woman cried.

"H-Hina!" The other demon said, almost in a panic.

'Hina… that name.. belongs to….' "Mother." He whispered aloud before he could stop himself.

Instantly a pair of thin arms wrapped around him and lifted him upright.

"My baby boy." She whispered back, and Hiei wrapped his arms around her as well. "Y-your Father brought you home."

"M-my father?"

"Yes, he's standing behind you."

Hiei looked and there stood the other demon, the one who had lead him through the barrier. He had wondered why the man had looked so similar to himself, or why a stranger would lead him through the mountains but now there was no need to wonder. He lifted one of his arms and his father slowly walked over before embracing him as well. It was a long time before any of them let go but finally Hiei lowered his arms.

"Where is Yukina?"

"She woke first and had breakfast in the next room with your Mother."

"Yes we just finished up and she went to wash while I checked up here."

"Ah that reminds me, Hiei are you hungry?"

"No, not at the moment." He spoke quickly, making it very clear that eating was not an option.

Both his parents frowned.

"Hiei…" His Mother said cautiously. "That's your preferred name right?"

"Yes."

"It must have taken a lot of time and energy for you to walk here… are you sure you don't want something to eat?"

Hiei groaned in frustration, it was so tempting to relax into the calming atmosphere of the room with his parents but it wouldn't do him or Kuwabara any good.

"I don't have time to eat; I came here because I was told that you could tell me where the demon Chourin is."

Hina gasped, taking a step backwards as her body began to shiver. Hiei's father, Katsuya, seemed to turn to stone with his jaw firmly clenched and eyes glaring off into the distance. The small fire demon stayed silent, waiting anxiously for an answer with his fist clutching the blanket that lay in his lap.

"Hiei," His father finally spoke. "I will not be telling you where she is."

"Why not!" Both parents flinched at his anger.

"Because you would only ask where she is if you were intending to find her and there isn't a chance in hell that I would ever let my child go to such a place!"

"Let me inform you that I work for Mukuro, I have fought and won in the Dark tournament, I have competed for the title of King of Demon world, and I'm currently an S-class demon so Chourin will be no challenge when I cut out her throat; now tell me where she is!"

"I'm sorry Hiei you are… very accomplished and yes I am proud but… I cannot allow you to go such a place."

Hiei rolled his eyes and whisked off the blanket. His robe and scarf had been neatly folded at the end of the bed. He hastily put on his clothes and shoes before checking to make sure that the bandages around his arm and Jagan eye were fitted tightly.

"H-Hiei wait! Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" His Mother panicked.

"If you won't help me then I have no reason to be here."

"Is running off to prove your strength really so important that you have to your disregard your own family?" Hiei flinched.

"I didn't mean for it to seem that way… Chourin took someone from me and I need to rescue him before… " He took a deep breath to keep his voice from shaking. " Before it's too late to do so."

His father sighed in relief.

"So then it's not a quest to assert your own pride?"

"No, it never was."

"Good, many young demons like yourself Hiei fall into taking such stupid risks; I would hate to see you throw away your life so carelessly."

"I'm no fool, now will you tell me where to find Chourin or not?"

"Oh, I can do more than that." Katsuya said with a smirk before leaving the room, Hiei following close behind.

…1314…

Kuwabara coughed as a punch landed in his gut, sending droplets of blood to spray on the floor in front of him. There was nothing he could do but hang from his wrists, the iron manacles digging into his skin as his body was suspended from the ceiling by chains. Blood was running down his arms from his bleeding wrists, he could feel it run down his back, all the way down to where it dripped off his toes and landed on the ground.

The Oni demon laughed and struck him again and again alternating between kicking and punching. Kazuma didn't make a noise; he simply took the hits, his body aching but his mind numb. As long as the Ice maiden children were safe he knew he could take the demon's hits. Even as he heard another bone break, he told himself he could take it, that he could make himself last. At least until the children were rescued.

**A/N: What will the sudden appearance of Hiei's parents mean for the story, and will Kuwabara be able to survive much longer at the hands of one of Chourin's minions? Find out as the story continues!**


End file.
